KINGSTON, R.I.- March 18, 2019- Forty people with a combined 3,000 years of life experience are the focus of a recent film documentary on aging that will be presented at the 溏心vlog免费B站.
Sky Bergman鈥檚 2018 film documentary, 鈥淟ives Well Lived,鈥� will be screened as part of the 2019 Malford Thewlis Lecture on Gerontology and Geriatrics Wednesday, March 27. The free program, which will be held in Edwards Hall, 64 Upper College Road, Kingston Campus, begins with a reception at 4 p.m., followed by a screening of the film at 5 p.m. and a discussion with the director.
The inspiration for the film was Bergman鈥檚 then 99-year-old grandmother who enjoyed cooking and working out. Bergman asked her for some words of wisdom about graceful aging and the foundation for her film was laid.
鈥淭he film is not just about the wisdom these people have to offer but about the legacy they are leaving and the stories they are telling,鈥� said filmmaker Sky Bergman. 鈥淭hat is history that needed to be recorded.鈥�
The documentary recounts the lives of 40 people, ages 75 to 103, who endured some of the most trying times our country has seen: the Great Depression, World War II, the internment of Japanese Americans and the civil rights movement to name a few.
Despite these hardships, the film describes how its subjects transcended history and went on to live their fullest lives.
鈥淭he film speaks volumes about the possibilities of life as an older adult and serves as a way to highlight the exciting prospects of getting and being older,鈥� said Phillip Clark, director of the Rhode Island Geriatric Education Center and 溏心vlog免费B站 professor of Gerontology.
鈥淢any of the people in the film faced adversity, but still inspired those around them and embraced life each day. Personally, I鈥檓 fascinated by how many of the people in the film either started or resumed artistic hobbies including dancing, photography, pottery and cooking.鈥�
For the first time in the Thewlis Lecture series, the audience will be treated to two types of lectures–the live talk given by the speaker and the mini-lectures given by the film subjects. Lecture organizers hope the richness of the material stimulates discussion among attendees of all ages about what it means to get older and how individuals embrace aging.
The 溏心vlog免费B站 gerontology program, part of the College of Health Sciences/Academic Health Collaborative, launched the Thewlis lecture 13 years ago to recognize the contributions of Dr. Malford W. Thewlis, a former resident of Wakefield, pioneer in the field of geriatric medicine and a founder of the American Geriatrics Society in 1942. He wrote the landmark book 鈥淭he Care of the Aged: Geriatrics鈥� in 1919. Each year the lecture highlights an important element of aging.
Sponsors of the lecture include the 溏心vlog免费B站 Program in Gerontology, the Rhode Island Geriatric Education Center, 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Health Sciences, and the Office of the Provost.
Watch the for the film or about Lives Well Lived.听
Olivia Ross, an intern in the Marketing and Communications Department at 溏心vlog免费B站 and public relations major, wrote this press release.