Aging Videos - The Documentary Network

Elderly Incorporated

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 19:01:53 +0000

Josh Rushing investigates the growing business of elderly care, and travels throughout the US to find out what happens when corporations put profits before people. With an aging population in the United States, one the great growth industries is care for the elderly. With billions of dollars supplied by Medicare, the only barrier to profit is how little service is provided to the senior citizens trapped in a very, poorly regulated industry which is usually neglected by state governments and their corrupt bureaucrats. Fault Lines looks at individual cases which should be classed as criminal neglect but because of a very, thin line of inspection and criminal investigation, the operators of nursing homes get away the poorest service, resulting in the horrible deaths and widespread mistreatment of residents. Very lucrative and ever sensitive to accusations, the industry has cloaked itself in a complex tangle of ownership which is almost impossible to penetrate while the investment honchos running this scheme profits immensely. Meanwhile, people who expect to live their final days in dignity die in misery, often alone, or with relatives so horrified by what happened, they can bear to look at how their loved ones died.

Baby Drain – Japan facing an unprecedented population collapse?

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:30:22 +0000

With a plummeting birth rate and a rapidly ageing population, Japan is facing an unprecedented population collapse with vast economic, social and political implications. We explore the dangers facing the nation. In bustling Tokyo, there's little sense of an impending crisis, but Japan is facing a demographic time bomb. "Nobody is having babies. The men aren't as hungry for success or for relationships as they were before", says Kaoru Arai. She epitomises the country's new breed of successful and financially independent women that are putting their career first. "I'm picky, yes. I want it all", she smiles. In a desperate move to pull the birth rate back from the brink, the government is offering cash incentives to encourage singles to partner up and procreate. Meanwhile, the elderly are being left behind, with no one to look after them. Japan's seemingly xenophobic reluctance to admit foreign workers means that major companies are now racing to develop robots to help fill the void and support its ageing population. Somewhat desperate measures, which reveal how difficult the problem has become for the government to handle. "This situation cannot continue, we know this very well, but it is still not something that is easily solved.

Never Say Die – The Secret of the World’s Oldest People

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:12:31 +0000

China's remote Bama County is home to a significant number of the worlds oldest people but what is the secret of a long and happy life? Today this remains the eternal unanswered question. "I don't have any secret of living a long life. You need to be a good person with a balanced mind", says Huang Xu Ping who is currently 113. According to locals, the abundance of "sunshine, clean air and water", is reason for their longevity. But with more and more tourists coming to see them could the trappings of the modern world end their old way of life?