My Gerontologist friend, Karen Everett Watson, emails me every week with some new insight she has about helping our beloved seniors sharpen their memories, and thus their cognitive ability. I thought this was a pretty smart AND enjoyable way to share “the old days” with elder family members. See Karen’s letter below….
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Who were you with the first time you watched "Gone with the Wind"?
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I was 14 and had just graduated from junior high. My parents took me to a fancy restaurant which was a huge treat for all of us, and then to the biggest movie theater in our area.
The screen was huge and I felt so tiny looking up at Rhett Butler while Scarlett batted her eyes at him. I'd never seen anything so beautiful as her running in her white dress to find her daddy. I believe I was never the same. I know fiddledeedee became a permanent word in my vocabulary.
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Many of us have strong feelings about the films we watched when we were young. Movies have a way of making a connection between those who share that affection for a particular film.
"Gone with the Wind" is a perfect example of a movie that has touched so many generations. The book had the same effect on people everywhere. Author Pat Conroy wrote about his mother and how she compared every person in her life with a character out of "Gone with the Wind."
He said there were only two books on the coffee table at his mother's house – one was the King James Bible and the other, a worn copy of "Gone with the Wind." My own granny wore out at least three copies of the book. She loved it so much; she would often scold Scarlett while reading about one of her more colorful exploits.
It's no wonder that older people get so much enjoyment out of watching old films. I love how so many of the senior communities have movie nights and treat their residents to the films they watched first in their youth. Watching our film heroes in all their glory and hearing the wonderful scores of music are like a time machine – suddenly I'm 14 again feeling very special to be watching such a great film.
Laughing with our favorite film stars is definitely a tonic. Doris Day has got to be one of the funniest actresses ever to grace the silver screen. I was lucky to find "Calamity Jane" on one of the cable channels a few months back. After watching it the first time when I was a child, I memorized all the songs so I could take a walk and sing at the top of my lungs, "My Secret Love's no secret anymore." When you're young, movies can make you dream huge dreams. Seeing those films again takes you back to those dreams.
My favorites were always the movies about cowboys. John Wayne was my all-time favorite cowboy especially after watching "Angel and the Badman" and my all-time favorite movie – "Red River" with Montgomery Cliff. There are just no movies that come close in my mind. My daddy's favorite actor is James Gardner. I can still remember his laughter while watching "Support Your Local Sherriff" when Garner told a bad guy straight faced, "I think you've got the crude."
So how long has it been since you watched one of your favorite old films? Do you know your parents' favorites? If not, find out. You'll give them such a great gift by taking over the DVD and sharing that movie with them. And don't forget the popcorn!
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Karen is so good for me since she understands so much about seniors and gives me great advice about our elder residents here at San Clemente Villas by the Sea.
Showing an old movie to a senior stirs up their memories, especially if you ask them what was going on with them and where they were in their life when they watched a given movie.
Aileen Brazeau, Co-owner, San Clemente Villas by the Sea…
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San Clemente Villas provides full-service, luxury assisted living to those over the age of 65. San Clemente Villas by the Sea is at 660 Camino De Los Mares, San Clemente, CA 92673. Phone: (949) 289-1534 Fax: (949) 234-0081. Contact: Aileen Brazeau, Co-Owner of San Clemente Villas by the Sea. | abrazeau@cox.net.
