San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Movie nights help older adults socialize, reminisce
We all know watching movies is a relatively easy and convenient form of entertainment. In most cases it doesn’t even involve leaving home — just flipping a switch or pressing a button.
There are, however, more benefits for older adults than simply escaping into another time and place for a couple of hours. Getting together to watch a movie is a low stress way to socialize with others.
Watching films, especially classic films from other eras, is helpful in memory care because they provide prompts for socialization. Recalling the past stimulates emotional connections and can help arrest memory loss. Engaging with others is proven therapy for memory care and dementia as it improves mental focus and supports a sense of belonging.
It’s important to make sure that your audience understands what type of movie they will be watching. People who have come to see an irreverent comedy may not enjoy the experience of a serious period drama. People want to be entertained but what exactly is entertaining differs for people so be careful in matching the movie to the appropriate audience. Be clear and transparent in your descriptions of the films so no one who attends is surprised by what they see.
SOME TIPS FOR STAGING MOVIE NIGHT
Prepare snacks ahead of time: Who doesn’t love popcorn with a movie? You can buy small size popcorn containers which are perfect for people to take to their seats. Healthier options include pretzels or fruit salad. A bowl of jelly beans, a scoop of ice cream or gelato also can add to the fun.
Schedule an intermission: Find a point midway through your feature where everyone can take a break. People can go to the bathroom, stretch their legs or just get more snacks. They can also engage with each other about what they’ve seen so far and what they might expect will happen next.
Create a trivia quiz around the movie you are screening or around movies in general: You can also prepare questions around the careers of the stars in your movie if they are well known. Other enhancements include comfortable seating (couches, chairs, even pillows on the floor can work for some), scented candles or appropriate music before the movie while your audience is arriving and getting settled.
The most important aspect of your movie night though is matching the movie to your audience. You don’t want to show something which will offend — not too violent, too sad or too long.
MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OLDER ADULTS
Though Hollywood has typically celebrated youth, as filmmakers have aged they have started telling stories centered on more mature heroes.
Here are a wide variety of films centered on older adults which can make for satisfying movie nights.
“Away From Her” (drama)
The 2006 Canadian film by writer and director Sarah Polley is based on a short story by Alice Munro. In the film, Julie Christie realizes she is suffering from Alzheimer’s and checks herself into a nursing facility while long time husband Gordon Pinsent reflects on their life together (including his infidelity). The stellar cast in the moving low key drama include the great Olympia Dukakis as the wife of one of the nursing home’s residents.
“Young@Heart” (documentary with music)
A British documentary focuses on a chorus of 22 older adults in Northampton, Massachusetts who spend two months learning classic rock songs for a concert under the demanding leadership of their director Bob Cilman. New York Times film critic Stephen Holden wrote, “The movie offers an encouraging vision of old age in which the depression commonly associated with decrepitude is held at bay by music making, camaraderie and a sense of humor.”
“Waking Ned Devine” (comedy)
This 1998 Irish comedy from writer director Kirk Jones follows two best friends, Jackie O’Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O’Sullivan (David Kelly), who discover that someone in their small modest village of 52 people, has won the lottery jackpot. They and their friends scheme to discover who it could be. Roger Ebert called it, “a warmly observed comedy of manners.”
“Space Cowboys” (action drama)
Produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, the 2000 film stars Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James
Garner and Donald Sutherland as older extest pilots from the preNASA era who are sent into space to repair an old Soviet satellite. The hook of the film is that the veteran quartet of test pilots who are coaxed out of retirement stand in for younger actors who usually star in this kind of action drama. Purely an entertainment vehicle, the fun film rides on the charm and camaraderie of its familiar stars who know how to carry a movie.
“Ikiru” (foreign drama)
In this 1952 black and white classic from Japanese master director Akira Kurosawa, protagonist Kanji Watanabe, a listless bureaucrat nearing retirement, discovers he is terminally ill and seeks to find some redemption and fulfillment in his life before he dies. Note: it’s in Japanese with English subtitles.
Other films older adults (or anyone) will enjoy: “Cocoon” (light drama) “Harold and Maude” (irreverent comedy/drama) “RBG” (bio of the inspirational Supreme Court justice) “Up” (smart moving animated drama) “Mama Mia!” (fun musical) “The African Queen” (classic adventure romance) “On Golden Pond” (comedy drama) “The King’s Speech” (uplifting true story) “The Odd Couple” (classic Neil Simon comedy) “The Princess Bride” (classic modern fairy tale) “All the President’s Men” (investigative drama)