National Media Owl Awards Recognize Outstanding Training Films Family Survival Guide Awarded First Place

Chicago, May 14, 1997 -- A planning program for those faced with the responsibility of caring for an elderly parent or family member, Aging Parents: The Family Survival Guide, won first place in the Training Films and Videotapes category of The Retirement Research Foundation’s 1997 National Media Owl Awards.

The National Media Owl Awards recognize training films and videos, independent films, television non-fiction and community video productions about older Americans and serve as an imprimatur of excellence for films and videos about aging.

Aging Parents: The Family Survival Guide, with executive producers Larry Katz, Bruce Tokars and Gary Weinstein, helps families form a personal action plan for their parents long-term care. The program, consisting of two videotapes and a 180-page Action Guide workbook, is designed to save families countless hours of research and worry in caring for their aging parents by helping them to organize a long-term plan for future care based on their parents’ desires.

"Due in part to healthier lifestyles and advances in medical science, more people are living longer today than they did just a few decades ago," said Bruce Tokars, executive producer of Aging Parents. "Since a long life is now more probable than an early death, more people will need some type of help or long-term care in their later years. Still, only a very small percentage of people plan in advance for the possibility that they, or their parents, will be among the roughly 50 percent of all Americans who will require long-term or nursing home care. Most do no planning at all."

"Aging Parents gives families the basic knowledge they need to plan for the future and develop a plan of action," said Marilyn Hennessy, president of The Retirement Research Foundation. Aging Parents is a comprehensive package for families, which addresses critical issues in deciding a parent’s long-term care, such as housing options, insurance plans and government programs. With the "sandwich generation" getting larger every year, programs such as Aging Parents are valuable to assist adult children working with their parents to define the best options.

The Retirement Research Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago with primary interest in improving the quality of life of older persons in the United States. Established by the late John D. MacArthur, its grants support programs, research and public policy studies to improve the quality of life for older Americans.

If you would like information about:
Aging Parents: The Family Survival Guide

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