Aging in America Survive or Thrive
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Premieres on PBS starting  May 1, 2025

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Aging in America: Survive or Thrive celebrates the promise of increased longevity while addressing crucial and unprecedented public policy challenges. The film explores critical topics such as ageism, healthcare, economic insecurity, and Alzheimer’s disease, using Dr. Robert Butler’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book Why Survive? as a guide.

Martin Sheen

Narrated by Martin Sheen

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Topics

AGEISM

“Ageism is a kind of prejudice that may be baked into people’s thinking and their feelings and their language, and the way they view the value of people.”

– Dr. Ken Dychtwald, Author/
CEO and Founder Age Wave
FINANCES

“It’s interesting how one’s access to financial resources can affect their lifespan. We look at New York, for example. What we see is between downtown Manhattan and East Harlem, which is about a 20-minute sub ride…the life expectancy in downtown Manhattan is 85 years old…in East Harlem, 76 years old.”

– Jasmine Travers, PhD, MHS, RN
Assistant Professor New York University
HEALTHCARE

“Our government and our nation as a whole does spend a lot of money on medical care for older people, but we don’t spend it on the right things.”

– Christine Cassell MD,
Professor of Medicine,
University of California San Francisco
ALZHEIMER’S

“Caregivers are really the unsung hero of the dementia journey. And we really need to improve our support to caregivers so that they can maintain their own sense of well-being and purpose in life.”

– Amy Shaw,
Dementia Care Specialist
NURSING HOMES

“What I wish for in our long-term care system is that we could start over, that we could create a long-term care system that absolutely includes institutional care for people who need 24 hour hands on supportive care, as well as a very robust home and community based services sector that is accessible anywhere you live in this country.”

– Kathleen Unroe MD,
Professor of Medicine,
Indiana University Scientist,
Regenstrief Institute
LONGEVITY

“We want to make sure that you’re living your post 65 plus year life, in the best possible way that you can. Having that mission or purposeful life, meaning in your life, I think is key to happiness.”

– Jo Ann Jenkins,
Former CEO, AARP
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Dr. Robert Butler

“Today’s children will one day be older people – and today’s older people were once children, there’s a unity and a continuity to life, which we must bear in mind. When we are negative towards old age, we’re slashing our own tires. This is really our own future we are talking about.”

more on Dr. Robert Butler
Dr. Robert Butler
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Filmmakers

Neil Steinberg

Neil Steinberg

Director, Executive Producer

Neil, the founder and president of Generation Entertainment, Inc., has a diversified career in documentary, motion picture, and television productions.  He has produced and directed documentaries for the TNT network, Lionsgate and several projects for PBS including the acclaimed documentary The Boomer Century: 1946-2046. He also produced nine films and two series starring teen stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

more on the crew and experts
Mark Harris

Mark Harris

Producer

Mark is a 3-time Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and Emeritus Distinguished Professor in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, where he ran the documentary program for many years. In 2021, Asian Americans, a 5-part series for PBS for which he was Consulting Producer, received a Peabody Award.

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Resources

The John A. Hartford Foundation offers several resources to improve the care of older adults:​

Age Friendly Care
Support:

Age-friendly is health care that meets your unique needs and enhances your quality of life. It’s safe, research-based care that prioritizes what truly matters.

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Age-Friendly
Health Systems Initiative:

Promotes the adoption of the 4Ms framework —What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility—to ensure health care settings provide age-friendly care.

more

Serious Illness &
End of Life Care:

JAHF offers guides and resources to enhance the quality of care for individuals with serious illnesses, focusing on palliative care and end-of-life planning.

more
more resources
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