This page lists educational video and film resources available at SJSU. To show these videos in your SJSU classroom, identify the video(s) that you are interested in showing and note where it is located, either IRC Room 112 or SWARC.

Then,

1. if the video is located at the IRC (Instructional Resource Center), contact Video Services at 408.924.2867 to arrange for classroom playback
   
   or
   
   
2. if the video is located at SWARC, contact us by telephone at 408.924.5842 or via email at swarc@email.sjsu.edu to arrange for classroom playback or personal viewing. Please be aware that SWARC rarely can arrange for a viewing in less than 24 hours.

   Acting Our Age, A Film About Women Growing Old (Direct Cinema Ltd., 1987)
   IRC Room 112
   This video introduces viewers to 6 women, aged 65 to 75 years, of diverse backgrounds, including Finnish-American, Black, Lesbian, Latina, Jewish, and White Anglo-Saxon. It dispels the myths and challenges the stereotypes that have defined the image of old women in American culture. The women speak openly about sexuality, being alone, financial difficulties, and dealing with death. (58 min.)

   Age Power! with Ken Dychtwald
   (PBS Video)
   SWARC
   In the 1940s they overloaded hospitals. In the '60s they swamped the public schools and revolutionized society. Now, as 78 million baby boomers turn 50, they are dramatically changing the face of our society and transforming the aging process. Psychologist and gerontologist Dr. Ken Dychtwald examines where this generation is headed and the physical, financial, and spiritual challenges confronting them. (60 min.)

   The Age Wave with Dr. Ken Dychtwald
   (Age Wave in association with Riverstreet Productions, 1988) IRC Room 112
   Discusses the aging of the American population and how it will affect the country demographically, economically, and socially as the 21st century approaches. (60 min.)

   Alzheimer’s: A Multicultural Perspective
   (Terra Nova Films, 1992)
   On order for IRC
   An examination of caregiving issues through the eyes of 4 minority families, including their values, perceptions, and fears. This 2-year study of Alzheimer’s was conducted in Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Latino communities. This video shows obstacles faced by these families, including language barriers, lack of support from extended family, inaccurate information about the disease and its etiology, and cultural norms that mitigate against long-term placement. Possible solutions to some of these problems are discussed by family members and professionals in the field of gerontology.

   Alzheimer’s Disease, Silent Changes in the Brain
   (1984)
   IRC Room 112
   Describes changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer's disease including a discussion of the most common symptoms including memory loss and intellectual decline. Explains the characteristic microscopic Alzheimer’s-related changes in the brain. Summarizes the current knowledge and trends in research including heredity factors. (42 min.)

   The Chinese Hospice
   (Filmakers Library, 1999)
   IRC Room 112
   Film about a hospital in Beijing, China, that specializes in allowing people approaching the end of their lives to die with dignity. Contains stories of several elderly patients, many having lived through the Cultural Revolution. (46 min.)

   The Christmas Cake
   (First Run / Icarus Films, 1996)
   SWARC This insightful, funny, and charming film documents life as seen through the eyes of the matriarchs of the Brereton family, sisters-in-law Mollie and Jessie. These two octogenarians lived together for many years, but spent most of their lives battling each other. Through an examination of their lives, the film captures a generation's feelings about love, family and politics, revealing how the ties that bind are both fragile and indelible. The personalities of the two women are a study in contrasts - for Mollie there was always politics, for Jessie there was always family. The one thing that they agreed upon year after year was the family Christmas cake. This fruitcake of epic proportion, prepared with equal doses of love from both women, symbolizes their connection and partnership despite their many differences. (27 min.)

   Clinical Protocol Series in Community Based Long-term Care
   (Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, 1995)
   SWARC
   This 12 video series, with accompanying training manuals, includes the following topics:

   1. Adverse Drug Reactions (35 min.)
   2. Alcoholism (35 min.)
   3. Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (35 min.)
   4. Chronic Pain (35 min.)
   5. Depression (35 min.)
   6. Elder Abuse (35 min.)
   7. Falls (35 min.)
   8. Families with Dysfunctioal Dynamics (35 min.)
   9. Impaired Mobility (35 min.)
   10. Incontinence (35 min.)
   11. Problems with Money Management (35 min.)
   12. Symptom Self-care/Noncompliance (35 min.)

   Family Intervention, Black Family
   (San José State University, 1988)
   IRC Room 112
   This video is of professional social workers presenting a role-play about black family members in the process of determining what to do about their aging mother. The daughter wants her mother to move from California to New Jersey to live with her. The mother wants to stay and live among her church friends. The importance of understanding the value of the black church and extended kin networks for many black elderly persons is presented. (11 min.)

   Family Intervention, Hispanic Family
   (San José State University, 1988)
   IRC Room 112
   This video is of professional social workers presenting a role-play about Hispanic family members in the process of determining what to do about their aging father. The family members must decide to either devote more time to his care to place him in a facility. The theme presented is the cultural clash of values between traditional expectations of family as sole caretaker and the limitations of such care by contemporary Hispanic women. (14 min.)

   Fighter
   (First Run / Icarus Films, 2000)
   SWARC
   In a story of life review and reconciliation, Jan, a Nazi Holocaust survivor, and his good friend Arnost Lustig revisit Europe. Jan revisits the office of the Czech collaborator who, during World War II, granted him an exit visa but told him not to expect to live long enough to wear out more than one pair of shoes. From that moment on, Jan was determined to survive and return to Prague to get revenge on this man for humiliating him. After the War, he returned to the same office, found the collaborator, put a gun to his head, and reminded him of his treatment of Jews 6 years earlier. Retracing the steps of Jan's escape, Jan returns for the first time to the house in Slovenia where his father committed suicide in 1941. Eventually, Jan and Arnost arrive in Cosenza, Italy; Jan is gripping so tightly to his past that the present can only disappoint him. One after another the people whom he visits tell him that they don't remember him. The world that he remembers from his youth is gone. (91 min.)

   "A Stroke of genius! Novelistic scope and dialectical edge distinguish FIGHTER.... Unlike most survivor memoirs, which are basically monologues, FIGHTER takes the form of a dialogue between two men who, because of the radical difference between their personalities and specific experiences, bring divergent perspectives to a shared history of grief. Their on-camera arguments and reconciliations reveal the life force that helped them survive (although nothing helped so much as luck) and give a dramatic structure to the dialectic between past and present." ~ The Village Voice

   The Future of Aging
   (University of Hawaii, Center on Aging, 1993)
   IRC Room 112
   This video explores potential generational conflicts, resource implications of a growing older population, and the role of technology in improving the quality of life for older adults.
   (58 min.)

   Illness and Disability
   (University of Hawaii, Center on Aging, 1993)
   IRC Room 112
   This video examines chronic health problems of the elderly and the availability of support services. Older people discuss how they cope with physical and mental illness and cope with tough decisions regarding institutionalization and the costs of long-term care. (58 min.)

   In Care Of: Families and Their Elders
   (1988)
   IRC Room 112
   This video shows family members confronting the physical, emotional, and financial challenges of caring for a frail and incapacitated elders. Filmed in homes and at care giving agencies. (55 min.)

   Late adulthood
   (University of Michigan and WQED/Pittsburgh, 1990)
   IRC Room 112
   Examines the developmental "clocks" of late adulthood, a stage in which there has been a 25-year increase in life expectancy. Discusses age as a predictor of retirement and a review of one's life, and as a poor predictor of activity. (58 min.)

   Love, Intimacy & Sexuality
   (University of Hawaii, Center on Aging, 1993)
   IRC Room 112
   In this video, older couples speak frankly about their enjoyment of sex. Experts examine physical and emotional issues of sexuality in later life. (58 min.)

   Middle adulthood
   (University of Michigan and WQED/Pittsburgh, 1990)
   IRC Room 112
   Examines the developmental "clocks" of middle adulthood, particularly the biological clock that signals middle age and the psychological clock in which a person is in personal and social command or whose life is taking on new directions. (58 min.)

   My Mother, My Father
   (Terra Nova Films, 1984)
   IRC Room 112
   This video examines four families and their deep, often conflicting, feelings as they deal with the stresses and changes involved in caring for an aging parent. One family decides to care for their father, who has Alzheimer's disease, in their home. Another family, The Hagwoods, use an adult day care program for their mother. The Tjeerdemas make a decision about what to do when their mother can't live alone any longer. Another mother moves to live with a widowed daughter. (34 min.)

   My Mother, My Father: Seven Years Later
   (Terra Nova Films, 1991)
   IRC Room 112
   This videos revisits each of the 4 families that were shown providing care for an aging parent in the 1984 production My Mother, My Father. This update explores the changes that have taken place over the years in the family dynamics and caregiving needs. (42 min.)

   Nosotros los Viejos, Your Challenges and Your Rewards
   (1987)
   IRC Room 112
   One out of every six people is more than 60 years of age, and this population will increase 107% by the year 2030. The under 60 year-old population only will increase 12% by the year 2030. This video presents the National Hispanic Council on Aging program to encourage university students to enter the field of gerontology. Includes interviews with Cesar Chavez, United Farmworkers President. (25 min.)

   On Lok's Multidisciplinary Team Meeting
   (On Lok Senior Health Services, 1987)
   IRC Room 112
   This video presents the Multidisciplinary team as a dynamic approach to health care. (21 min.)

   On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying
   (PBS Video)
   SWARC
   Acclaimed journalist Bill Moyers hosts this unique journey with those seeking to meet life's ultimate passage with compassion, comfort, and dignity. This series of 4 videos includes:

   1. Living with Dying – Death is treated as a strangely taboo subject in America. In this program, Bill Moyers describes the search for new ways of thinking and talking about dying. Forgoing the usual reluctance that most Americans show toward speaking about death, patients and medical professionals come forward to examine the end of life with honesty, courage, and humor to demonstrate that dying can be an incredibly rich experience for the terminally ill and their loved ones. (90 min.)
   2. A Different Kind of Care – What many Americans want at the end of life is physical and spiritual comfort in a home setting. In this program, Bill Moyers presents important advances in palliative care at pioneering institutions including New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. These advances are bringing peace to those who fear that they will be a burden to loved ones, will suffer needlessly, or will be abandoned in their hour of greatest need. (90 min.)
   3. A Death of One’s Own – Many Americans seek opportunities to exert control over where and how they will die. In this program, Bill Moyers unravels the complexities underlying the many choices at the end of life, including the debate about physician-assisted suicide. Three patients, their families, and their doctors discuss some of the hardest decisions, including how to pay for care, what constitutes humane treatment, and how to balance dying and dignity. In the end, do these patients die the way the wanted? Yes, …and no. (90 min.)
   4. A Time to Change – Regardless of their desires, 4 out of 5 Americans will die in a hospital or nursing home, and the care that he or she receives will depend on the provider and the payee. In this program, Bill Moyers introduces crusading medical professionals, including staff members of the Balm of Gilead Project in Birmingham, Alabama, who have dedicated themselves to improving end-of-life care by changing America’s overburdened health system. (90 min.)

   Responsive Health Care for Minority Elderly
   (Whiteford-Cohen, 1989)
   IRC Room 112
   This video identifies physiological and psychosocial changes associated with aging. It also suggests interventions and services appropriate for the needs of minority and rural aged. (39 min.)

   Secret Life of the Brain, Part 5
   The Aging Brain: Through Many Lives
   (PBS Video)
   SWARC
   For years, science has suggested that we lose vast numbers of brain cells as we grow older; now it turns out that this is not true -- in fact, healthy brains continue to produce new neurons well into the 70s. Drawing on the most recent neuroscience discoveries, this episode presents a new view of how the brain ages, focusing in part on the remarkable strides being made in understanding stroke, Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease. (60 min.)

   Sexuality and Aging
   (KUON-TV, 1987)
   IRC Room 112
   This video examines ongoing research about sexuality, physiological changes affecting the sexuality of older women and men, and educational efforts to improve the public’s perceptions about sexuality in later life. A variety of older women and men discuss their relationships and related attitudes. Gerontologists, sex researchers, and educators also present on the topic. (59 min.)

   The Silent Cry:
   Elder Abuse Assessment and Reporting Update 2000
   (Santa Clara County)
   SWARC (33 min.)

   Social Roles & Relationships in Old Age
   (University of Hawaii, Center on Aging, 1993)
   IRC Room 112
   This video examines how family, friendship, and work roles evolve and continue as we age. The pioneering of new roles in later life also is explored. (57 min.)

   Stealing Time: The New Science of Aging
   (PBS Video, 1999)
   IRC Room 112
   This 3 video series investigates the mystery of why we die with a fascinating expedition into old age. As our understanding of this complex biological process deepens, scientists are uncovering new ways to slow the deterioration of our minds and bodies. By combining innovative research and smart lifestyle choices, people can actually turn back the clock to live longer, fuller lives. Find out how in this cutting edge investigation of end of life.

   1. Quest for Immortality (56 min.)
   2. Turning Back the Clock (56 min.)
   3. Mastering the Mind (56 min.)

   Surfing for Life
   (David L. Brown Productions, 1999)
   IRC Room 112
   “Why are we still doing it?” asks 93 year-old surfer John “Doc” Ball. His answer and the stories of other grand elders of surfing are captured in one of the most inspiring films ever produced on the sport. Surfing for Life profiles some of the greatest legends in surfing history including Woody Brown, 88 years old, Rabbit Kekai, 79 years old, John Kelly, 81 years old, and Eve Fletcher, 73 years old. Through compelling portraits and extraordinary archival footage, a powerful story emerges of fascinating lives. This story defies the modern myths of aging. An accompanying discussion guide is available. (55 min.) "Surfing for Life is a treasure, perhaps the most intelligent treatment of surfing ever captured on film." ~ Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle

   To Be Old, Black, and Poor
   (Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1993)
   SWARC
   This is a gritty and painfully real exposition of what it means to be black, poor, and elderly in the United States. During a 6-month period, the film crew documents the life of Leonard and Sarah Bass, recording their struggle to survive, watching as well-meaning neighbors and opportunities come and go. (58 min.)

   The Visionaries: On Lok
   SWARC
   This video profiles the culturally sensitive, holistic, and multidisciplinary approach to care of On Lok.