Activity 1: Who did you call “old”?

1.Do Now: Think-Pair-Share

• Write the following prompts on the board and have students complete the following sentences on their own then pair up and share their responses with a partner:
  • Old age begins at…
  • I would describe an “old person” as someone who …

2.Sorting out Aging

• Reconvene the class and organize the students into groups based on the age they selected as the beginning of “old age”. Read out one age range at a time and have students stand up and move to their group before moving to the next age range.

Who thinks old age begins …

• Before 50 years old?
• Between 50-60 years old?
• Between 60-70 years old?
• Between 80-90 years old?
• After 90 years old?
• Give the class a few minutes to discuss their reasoning with their group members.

Note: Remind the class that this is a supportive environment and review your classroom’s tools for creating a safe space, including class agreements. These might include guidelines like “no name-calling,” “no interrupting,” “listen without judgment,” “use respectful language,” “share to your level of comfort” and “you have the right to pass.” And remind students that when they talk about groups of people, they should be careful to use the word “some,” not “all.”

• While the students remain in their groups, lead an interactive discussion :
• Have a volunteer from each group share why they selected this age range and how their descriptive terms for “old people” support this choice. Record these responses on the board and refer back to them during the lesson as needed.
• Ask for and/or provide examples of individuals from each age group that challenge the students’ descriptions of old age.
• Ask for and/or provide examples of ways that younger people exhibit (or are said to exhibit) some of the qualities the students linked to old age. (For example: tired all the time, forgetful, move too slow, grumpy, think they know everything, always want to talk, don’t pay attention, etc.)
• Have volunteers read the following descriptions of “Old Age”:
  
  • “The final stage in the life course of an individual. Old age is usually associated with declining faculties, both mental and physical, and a reduction in social commitments…The precise onset of old age varies culturally and historically. It is a social construct, rather than a biological stage…”
    • “Old Age,” Oxford Reference, Oxford University Press, Retrieved December 2020 https://www.britannica.com/science/old-age
      
  • “Old age, also called senescence, in human beings, the final stage of the normal life span. Definitions of old age are not consistent from the standpoints of biology, demography, employment and retirement, and sociology. For statistical and public administrative purposes, however, old age is frequently defined as 60 or 65 years of age or older…
    “There is no universally accepted age that is considered old among or within societies…Moreover, biologists are not in agreement about the existence of an inherent biological cause for aging.”
    • “Old Age,” by Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica Group, Inc., Retrieved December 2020. https://www.britannica.com/science/old-age
      
• Complete the activity by asking if anyone would like to change to a different age group and what prompted them to change their mind.

3.Reflect

• Reconvene the class and briefly reflect on the activity:
  • What were the similarities and differences among the definitions of aging?
  • What did you learn from the other groups?
  • What do these discussions reveal about our ideas about ageing?
  • What questions did this activity raise for you?
  • Bias and stereotypes based on age are known as ageism. What examples of ageism have you witnessed? What impact can ageism have on individuals and communities?

4.Explain

Age is a common topic in our society. We see and hear people talking about it in the media. We’re asked about our age at the doctor’s office, on job applications, on phone contracts, at the doctor, and when we sign up for just about anything on the internet. Rules about what we can and can’t do are directly linked to certain ages, and yet, there are no universal definitions for what age really means.

As we’ve discussed, that’s especially the case for the concept of “old age”. Even scientists studying ageing fail to agree on a biological definition for “old age”, because there are so many variables that can be unique to each individual. Although there may be no consensus on what old age is, being labeled as old matters. It can have a profound impact on a person’s opportunities, the expectations we have of them, the care they receive, the way they are treated, and their quality of life.

5.Reflect

• Conclude the activity by having the students complete the following sentence and ask for volunteers to share their responses:
  • I would describe ageism as ...

Activity 2: The Mole Agent: Sergio’s Investigation

6.Explain

Today, we will watch scenes from the documentary film, The Mole Agent, that follows the story of an 85 year-old-widower, Sergio Chamy, who is hired by a private detective to infiltrate a local retirement home for three months. While inside the home, Sergio’s assignment is to report on the activities of the residents and staff find out if a client’s mother, Sonia, is being mistreated. Through Sergio’s story, we will further explore different perspectives on old age, examine the diverse experiences of older people, and examine the impact of ageism on individuals’ lives.

CLIP 1, “Man needed. Between 80 and 90 years old.”
(00:00 mins – 05:10 mins, Length: 5:10 mins)

CLIP 2, “It's like I'm beginning to feel like the person I used to be.”
(11:08 mins – 14:28 mins, Length: 3:20 mins)

CLIP 3, “I wonder, is this negligence or not?”
(20:00 mins – 24:05 mins, Length: 4:05 mins)

CLIP 4, “Marta is very quick at taking things…”
(49:27 mins – 52:40 mins, Length: 3:13 mins)

CLIP 5, “I don't understand the point of doing this investigation.”
(1:17:00 mins – 1:20:20 mins, Length: 3:20 mins)

7.The Mole Agent Screening Notes

• Distribute Student Handout A: Film Notes and instruct students to take notes on terms, scenes, descriptions, and quotes as directed in the worksheet. Students should also take general notes on any other aspects of the clips they find significant.
• Play CLIPS 1 & 2 and instruct students that after screening the clips, they will break out into small groups (2-4 students) to discuss the film and complete the questions in the handout.

Clip 1:

• What surprised you most when you watched these clips from The Mole Agent?
• Why were the candidates so surprised by the newspaper ad? What was so unusual about it?
• What job were the candidates applying for? Why did the detective Romulo want to hire someone to live in a retirement home for three months?
• How do the candidates think other (younger) people see them? How do the candidates see themselves?
• How did the candidates react when they were asked to use “new technology”? How did you feel when watching them? What did that scene suggest about the abilities of older people? (Does it challenge or reinforce stereotypes?) Why do you think the filmmaker focused on these moments?
• Why did the detective ask if the men have their wives’ permission to take this job? What was Sergio’s response?

Clip 2:

• What concerns does Sergio’s daughter, Dalal, have about her father taking this assignment?
• What are the legal concerns that she raises? What are your thoughts about Sergio and the filmmakers filming in the retirement home?
• What reasons does Sergio give for why taking this opportunity is important to him?
• Based on this scene, what kind of relationship do Sergio and Dalal have?
• Instruct students to take notes using Student Handout A: Film Notes (CLIPS 3&4) and play CLIPS 3 & 4. Follow with a brief discussion:
• What surprised you most about Sergio’s experience in the retirement home?
• How does Sergio see the residents at first? Why is it significant that he told Romulo that “all the ladies look the same to me”?
• How does his perspective change as he talks to the women in the home?
• Although Sergio is instructed to focus his reports on “the target” he spends more time talking about the personal struggles of the residents. How does Romulo respond to Sergio’s reports? What does that suggest about Sergio and what is important to him?
• Why does Sergio begin to follow Marta? What does he find?
• What does he mean when he says, “Marta is very quick at taking things and making them disappear, but it's hard to get angry at her”? Why does Sergio encourage compassion toward Marta?
• How does Romulo react when he finds out that Marta has his client’s stolen necklace? He tells Sergio, “A rat who sneaks into other people's rooms, she's earned the title of thief.” Do you think Romulo’s reaction was justified? Why or why not?
• In another scene we learn that Marta was taken by the Police to the station for questioning. It’s clear that she is unable to understand what happened or why. She was later returned to the home in distress where the staff and residents tried to comfort her. What do you think should happen to Marta? What is an appropriate response?
• Instruct students to take notes using Student Handout A: Film Notes (CLIPS 5) and play CLIPS 3 & 4. Follow with a brief discussion:
• What did you think about Sergio’s final report to Romulo? Do you agree with his conclusions? Why or why not?
• What did Sergio describe as “the worst thing about this place”?

(Quote: “The residents here feel lonely. They aren't being visited and some have been abandoned. Loneliness is the worst thing about this place.”)

• What did he discover about the residents? Who did Sergio feel was at fault and why?
• Earlier in the film Sergio meets with Romulo and asks him the following question:

“Your client ... she's apparently very concerned for her mother. She tells you that she's worried, that she wants me to do a good job... But I've never seen her. I think she's never come to visit her mother. So where's the concern there?”

In this clip, Sergio states:“The target needs special care, and we don't know whether the client can provide it. I don't understand the point of doing this investigation. The client should do it herself, she's her mother. She should face her own faults. That's why she can't live with herself or visit her mother.”

What conclusion has Sergio drawn about the client? What are your thoughts? Do you agree with Sergio’s conclusions? Why/why not?

• How did Sergio describe the circumstances that the residents in the home face? How does their situation compare with his?
• How did Sergio’s role change during his time in the retirement home?

8.Reflect:

• When the groups have completed their handouts, reconvene the class and complete the activity by briefly discussing the following with the class:
• In what ways did ageism contribute to the residents’ situation?
• Why did Sergio single out loneliness as the worst thing about the home? The retirement home has a large community of people – how can they be lonely? What is loneliness in this context and why is it so damaging?

Activity 4: Understanding Aging - Separating Fact from Fiction

9.Explain:

As we saw in, The Mole Agent, ageism and the loneliness that can result during later life doesn’t just "feel bad” but can affect all aspects of a person’s health and well-being. Experts are just beginning to separate the facts from the myths about aging and understand the impact of social bias on the lives of seniors. In this activity, we will take on a similar challenge and try to better understand these complex issues by sorting facts from falsehoods.

10.Facts and Myths Activity

• Divide the class into groups of 4-5 students and distribute the following supplies to each group:
• 1 printout of Student Handout B: Facts and Fictions
• 1 large sheet of chart paper
• 1 roll of tape
• Markers
• Have each group draw a line down the center of their chart paper and label the column on the left “Fact” and the right “Myth”. Instruct them to cut out each statement from Student Handout B: Facts and Myths about Aging and place it in the appropriate column.
• When the groups have placed all the statements, have the class take a silent gallery walk around the room to review the other groups’ responses. Give groups 1-2 minutes to make any final corrections to their lists then have one volunteer from each group take turns revealing the truth behind each statement.
• Reconvene the class and discuss:
  • What Fact/Myth surprised you most?
  • Which of these facts was illustrated in the scenes from The Mole Agent?
  • Why do you think we know so little about the facts of aging and the impact that social attitudes have on seniors?
• Conclude the activity by having the students respond to the following question in their journal:
  • What did you learn about aging and ageism that you didn’t know when the lesson began?

Culminating Activity

Choose one of the following activities to complete the lesson:

A) Discussion/Journaling Activity:

Have each student select one fact from the Understanding Ageing activity and explain how ageism shapes the social and cultural attitudes that contributes to this outcome. Students should use specific examples from the film, the lesson, and independent research (if time allows) to support their argument.

B) Essay Activity:

• People today are living longer and more healthy lives but our attitudes about aging aren’t evolving to meet this new reality. Laura L. Carstensen Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and the founding director of the Stanford Centre on Longevity, explains our current situation this way:

“If you have a large population of emotionally stable, knowledgeable and relatively healthy old people, that’s a good resource…The challenge today is to build a world that is just as responsive to the needs of very old people as to the very young.”

• Have students complete an essay that responds to the following questions and includes specific examples from the film and lesson to support their argument.
  • What does Dr. Carstensen mean by this?
  • Based on what we learned in the film, how would Sergio build a world that is more responsive to the needs of seniors?
  • What changes would he make?
  • How would these changes improve his friends quality of life?

C) Group Project:

Have students work in groups to investigate a story related to seniors and/or age-related policies currently in the news. Students should:

• Record how aging populations are referred to and described
• Identify specific examples of ageism and bias in the cause of the issue and the way it is reported on in the media
• Create a multimedia presentation that demonstrates:
• An understanding of the issue and its roots in age-related bias
• How the media reinforces ageist stereotypes and myths in its representation of the issue
• An example of an article or broadcast news item that addresses the inherent ageism in the issue and avoids the use of stereotypes and age-related bias.