Educational Licensing


The film humanizes aging in an unprecedented way. It flies in the face of our culture's rampant ageism...and lets viewers genuinely experience the truth that love and companionship transcend age.

— Kavan Peterson, ChangingAging.org


A transformative tool...takes students far beyond book knowledge in understanding older adults' desire and need for companionship, love and sexuality.

— Dawn Norris, Professor of Sociology, Univ. of Wisconsin–La Crosse

The Age of Love follows the real-life adventures of 30 seniors who sign up for a speed dating event for 70- to 90-year-olds, each seeking one more chance at connection and love.

By revealing typically-overlooked elders as vital and emotionally intricate individuals, the film shatters ageist stereotypes, explores how our core emotional needs endure and presents an unexpected story of possibility and growth in later life.

The film offers educators in Sociology, Aging and Human Development, Social Work, Psychology, Nursing, Health Care Admin and more an innovative tool that brings intimate attitudes and behaviors of our older population to life.

By screening The Age of Love you can:

  1. engage multi-generational audiences with a relatable story on aging and connection that gives voice to elders seeking to fulfill emotional needs familiar to any age group
  2. launch essential discussions and inspire student reflections on ageism, stereotypes, gender and the innate and social challenges we all face as we grow older
  3. connect classrooms with the elder community by organizing a local senior dating/friendship event as a service learning project where students learn from and empower older adults to reach out and reconnect (Senior Speed Dating Event Kit and Lesson Plan included)

We look forward to your partnership in utilizing The Age of Love as a unique teaching tool, opening students' minds to the true voices of older adults seeking new intimacy, emotional growth and companionship.

LINKS TO EDU FILM REVIEWS:
Video Librarian review link
"Highly recommended for University Libraries."

Video Librarian review link
"Especially beneficial to college students studying contemporary issues with aging."


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS:
US News & World Report and WKBT News were among numerous news outlets reporting on a community-wide senior speed dating event organized as a service learning project by Dawn Norris’s graduate sociology class at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.


Journal of Social Work Education published "Speed Dating With Older Adults: Reducing Ageism in Social Work Students" by Dana Branson of Southeast Missouri State Univ. Using The Age of Love and our event materials, Branson found this "innovative opportunity" decreased ageism and negative stereotypes of older adults in students, while "increasing their interest and comfort for working in gerontological settings."

The Age of Love screening at North Dakota State University, School of Nursing

EDUCATIONAL LICENSE OPTIONS:

1) Library/Classroom DVD – $325

2) Library/Classroom DVD + Streaming License (perpetuity), MP4 provided or your digitization, utilizing your secure streaming server – $525

3) Add a Screening open to the Public or an Educational Conference Screening to License Options 1-2 – $125

4) Single Classroom Screening, provided through a streaming link – $100 (for this option, please fill out this form, rather than the Edu Licensing form below).

35-page Discussion and Screening Guide included. A Q&A with the Filmmaker - either in person or virtual - is also easy to arrange.



Go To Educational License Order Form


Download 2024 Educational Brochure


Once your application is submitted, you'll be sent a Licensing Agreement and Invoice, payable by check or credit card (via PayPal).

If you have additional questions, please contact us using this form, or reach our team at: info (at) theAgeofLoveMovie.com.


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Lesson Plan

THE GERONTOLOGIST 56 (4): 784-785
REVIEW EXCERPT, THE AGE OF LOVE

The elders [in The Age of Love] are open, brave, and vulnerable. Loring captures the marked differences among these older men and women. He succeeds in revealing their shared need to reach out for something missing in their lives that might be provided by another person, be it a dream, a soulmate, adventure, love, companionship, validation of worth, or the immediacy of “seize the day.”

Though the film offers moments of humor and lighthearted fun, it also holds more serious lessons about the many meanings of intimacy and love in the later years. Foremost, it helps those who are younger to appreciate the questions posed at the outset regarding their possible future status as lone survivors.

Though we are sustained by our previous relations, The Age of Love demonstrates that a significant part of healthful aging—for those who are able—involves forming new commitments, embracing intimacy once again. It tells us that memories of the heart are of many kinds.

— Rick J. Scheidt, PhD
School of Family Studies and Human Services
Kansas State University


WHAT INSTRUCTORS ARE SAYING

The Age of Love is a moving and important film, that shows the importance of love, of desire, of companionship for people of all ages. It opened the eyes of my students regarding the meaning of love and intimacy at different phases of life. This film challenges the dominant notion that aging is equated with decline and instead shows the commonality and stability of emotional needs and desires throughout our lives. It is a perfect film for college classes in sociology, psychology, aging, human development and family studies, as well as other social science and health services fields as it offers a highly relatable introduction to the aging mind and heart.
—Beth Montemurro, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Penn State University, Abington
There is so much in The Age of Love about what intimacy is and what intimacy means for those in later life – dispelling the idea that older adults are not sexual beings while countering ageist attitudes that carry down to how older adults view themselves. The film allows us to witness older people who actively defy our insidious stereotypes about sexuality and aging.
— Wendy Kopp
Associate Professor of Practice, School of Nursing
North Dakota State University
Student response to The Age of Love has been overwhelmingly positive. Initially attracted by the topic – ‘My grandmother goes speed dating?!’ – students found themselves gaining a much deeper understanding about relationships among older adults and began to think about their own aging process, the value of relationships and what they want for their own lives.
— Erica Srinivasan
Associate Professor, Developmental Psychology
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
The Age of Love shows us that love is ageless...that people may age, but their hearts still open for love, companionship and romance. The director shows the courage it takes for people in their 70s and 80s to once again enter the dating marketplace, and we can see them fill up with hope, meet companions and gear up to try again.

This is a great film for college students studying relationships and the family, and for professionals who are working with older populations. Too often films ignore the full humanity of older men and women and forget that they can be husbands, wives and lovers. The Age of Love is a wonderful corrective to all those films that deny seniors the full range of who they are and who they can be.
— Pepper Schwartz, PhD
Professor of Sociology
University of Washington at Seattle
Pursuit of a new relationship in later life often calls for a willingness to abandon comfort and security and to embark on a quest that may challenge us with uncertainties and insecurities we thought we had long left behind.

The Age of Love brings to life these feelings of loyalty, fear, search for control amidst uncertainty, acknowledgment of mortality, desire to preserve security, realization that life without companionship can be lonely and more. Through the lens of speed dating, it looks clearly at the issues older adults face while living in a society that is only now beginning to accept and define norms for intimacy in later life.
— Carol Podgorski, PhD, M.P.H.
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Institute for the Family
University of Rochester
From an educational standpoint, I appreciate how the film sparked an engaging classroom discussion about love, intimacy, and sexuality in older age, broadening my students’ perspectives and challenging their preconceived notions and attitudes towards intimacy in later life. The students were able to relate to similar needs, desires, concerns, and insecurities we all have toward love and relationships at any age. This film makes important contributions on the topics of intimacy and relationships and would be a valuable resource in any gerontology course.
—April Temple, PhD
Professor of Health Sciences
James Madison University
So many older people in film and TV, social media and in society are depicted as vulnerable, tired, frail and silenced, and we are left feeling sorry for them. The Age of Love showed me how older people dream, they love, they plan, they are strong, they do have a voice and they live like everyone else, just with a few more wrinkles.
— Melissa Martin
Program Development Director
Psychiatric Medical Care, Nashville, TN
A crucial conversation in social work looks at ageism, as older people are marginalized by the message that they’re not as valuable or have little to offer. The Age of Love’s characters break these negative stereotypes as they express strength and resilience, presenting strong voices to help students understand critical issues facing older adults in our society.
— Sarah Swords
Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work,
University of Texas at Austin

WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING

From Steve Gurney, Adjunct Professor, Erickson School of Aging Studies
University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)

The Age of Love has become an important part of my Aging 200: Aging People, Policy and Management course each semester, and I am consistently impressed with how well the film helps me teach topics ranging from Ageism to Isolation. However, one of my favorite reasons for using this film is that it addresses topics that go far beyond the “aging” subject matter and helps the students reflect on love and relationships in ways they never expected. Each semester, I survey students on each of the course elements, and The Age of Love is always at the top of the list as their favorite and the best learning tool in the course. Here are some excerpts from students' personal reflection essays, sharing their perspectives on the film:


The film gives me inspiration and hope for my mother to find love again...I will never think of love as something that can only be found in your youth and dwindles as you age but as a flame that is doused and reignited throughout our lives.
The Age of Love gives an extraordinary insight into the lives of elders...it provides a front row seat into the lives, minds, and emotions of these elders that most people, especially youth, would overlook. It doesn’t only help us understand how they feel but also helps us become more aware of our language and attitude towards elders in this sensitive subject.
The film opened my eyes to an entirely new perspective. I did not think that elderly people are still hoping to find true love, and still feel the same emotions as people my age do when in such situations. I felt very guilty after watching the movie. I realized that age is really just a number, and you are never too old to fall in love.
This movie was much more fascinating than I could have imagined. As I looked around the room, many of my fellow students were captivated by the unfamiliar experience of watching our typical romantic film played out 40 years down the line. The lead actors were not Jennifer Aniston and Ashton Kutcher, but rather, real live senior citizens. This film made me think about how I view my grandparent’s relationship, and it challenged many of the previous views I had about dating amongst senior citizens.
I can relate to the message this documentary is trying to relay because my grandmother died a few years back and I was forced to witness my grandfather lose himself as a person just because he thought that he would never find love again.
Dating and life as a we age have begun to be part of my day-to-day thoughts. I am now much more aware of my misconceptions of our aging society, and what it will be like to date as I age, or what the experience of aging, in general, will be like.
This movie breaks hidden stereotypes on finding love. If an elderly person can go on a date, try different things, and meet new people, so can someone who is in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. For as long as people are alive and well, it’s wise to utilize the time they have to venture out on new activities.
Watching the video was quite an interesting experience for me because, generally, society views the elderly population as people who need to be taken care of and assisted in almost every aspect of their lives. We fail to realize that they are still like every other person and have needs above what caretakers can offer...including relationships, love, intimacy and even sex.
I was very surprised at the content of the movie. I did not expect older people to still have feelings of love. I also did not expect elders to sign up for speed dating. It made me question the way we view older people. It completely destroyed any stereotypes I thought were true.
After watching the movie, I was thinking it could be really helpful if we held a similar event at UMBC, and we could hold it at the dining hall and put an ad out in the newspaper. I believe this has the potential to be a great event, because we would be doing something great for the community. The fact that even one person could find their true love or someone they can date would be amazing. We could get people to volunteer, and it could be amazing way for us to help the community.
The movie showed me that even when we are older we still want to have someone to love, and we still need the chance to find love. The film is something people our age need to watch to learn something about stereotypes that surround old people. I personally loved the film because it showed me no matter what happens you can always find love, and should never give up because “you are too old.”
The Age of Love was such a unique film in the sense that it provided so many different and interesting viewpoints to a topic that no one really knew existed. The love life of those older is not really something portrayed in our media and when it is, often romanticized to a large degree. Hearing their stories of how their lives led to this moment of just wanting someone to be intimate with was so moving. Life isn’t just about our “prime years” but extends to even old age which has its own profound moments.

PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE SCREENINGS INCLUDE:

  • IAGG/GSA World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics
  • ASA American Society on Aging ‘Aging in America’ Conference
  • AGHE Association for Gerontology in Higher Education
  • NISC National Institute of Senior Centers SEEK Conference
  • ALCA Aging Life Care Association National Conference
  • ASA American Sociological Association Annual Meeting
  • CSWE Council on Social Work Conference & Film Festival
  • LeadingAge Pennsylvania, Missouri & Leadership Academy

  ♥

EDUCATOR RESOURCE SHEETS

As professors in various fields have begun utilizing The Age of Love in their classrooms, several have offered to share the following Resource Pages to illustrate how the film supports teaching and inspires students in their discipline. Click on the headers to open and close each page (downloads coming soon!):


Using The Age of Love in the SOCIAL WORK Classroom
    by Sarah Swords, Clinical Assistant Professor
    GRACE Program Coordinator
    University of Texas at Austin, School Of Social Work

INTRO
Relationships remain a central force in the lives of older people. Social workers can enhance their practice by increasing understanding of how our emotional, intimate and sexual expression extends across the lifespan.

Among theories illuminated by The Age of Love is Relational-Cultural Theory, which proposes that a driving force in our lives is the continuing need for relationship and connectivity—the goals of adult development—which lead us toward psychological growth and maturity. The more and deeper relationships we have, the more healthy and successful our adult lives become. This theoretical perspective connects beautifully to numerous individual stories presented in the film.

Existential Theory proposes that the big-picture life issues that drive us—which we must work to understand and make informed choices about as we age—are meaning and purpose, isolation, freedom and death. Various characters in The Age of Love struggle with all these conditions (e.g., what is the meaning in my life now, how will I continue to have purpose with no one to take care of, or with no one to care for me?).

The negative impact of isolation on this growing population is a main focus of the film, as seniors prepare for a speed dating event as part of a search for social connection. We see their exercise of freedom in later life, as they find themselves single and unencumbered, able to engage or not engage, yet hesitant and with limited opportunities. They recognize their freedom is not well-supported, either by the way society views them or by what it offers. Access is a huge issue in social work across all systems, and we always seek ways to understand and remove ageist barriers that inhibit socialization.

Another crucial conversation in social work looks at ageism as a way older people are oppressed and marginalized by the message that they’re not as valuable or have little to offer. The film’s characters break social stereotypes as they express strength and resilience, revealing older voices that we strive to highlight in the classroom.

QUESTIONS
1) Brainstorm - what are the barriers you see in the film or in your own lives for older people who desire opportunities for socialization and increased personal connection?

2) From a strengths-based perspective, what are some strengths you saw in the speed daters profiled, and what would you do to support those strengths in a social work practice setting?

3) A challenging issue in long-term care is supporting intimacy and the expression of sexuality. How can social workers in this setting increase opportunities for intimacy and connection – whether emotional, verbal or physical – for their clients?

4) What are some steps you’d take to plan a speed dating or speed friendship event for older adults in your community? Who would your planning involve? What obstacles might you encounter? How would you know that you were successful?

5) Body image issues affect everyone, but perhaps most frequently older women thinking about intimacy or even dating and friendship. How would you explore body image issues with an older adult female client? What might underlie these issues for the client? What interventions might you use to help the client resolve body image issues in later life?

6) How does the film raise the issue of fear of rejection among the participants? Compare the film's characters in terms of how they responded to acceptance and rejection. How might the expression of fear of rejection change over a lifetime?

7) How would you support an older client in exploring their vulnerability around issues of going out in the world and seeking new connections?

EXERCISES
1) Role-play: You’re a social worker exploring issues around body image with a client. Switch roles, then debrief. What worked to get the client to open up about these issues? How did it feel to be an older adult facing issues about body image?

2) In your senior housing field placement internship, talk with clients about opportunities they have for connection and relationships. What do you learn? After watching the film, how would you talk to an older adult who has lost a spouse about what is missing in his or her life? How would you better understand their feelings, build better rapport, create an intervention plan that could be easily carried out and then follow up on that plan? How do the voices in the film apply or guide you in this exercise?

3) Self-awareness and self-regulation are two central processes in a social worker’s development of professional use of self. Write a reflection on how watching the film informs your feelings about how you might navigate loneliness in old age when you get there. How does the film make you think about yourself as an aging person, and what you can do to create a healthy and happy older life for yourself?

REFERENCES
Brown, S., & Shinohara, S. (2013). Dating Relationships in Older Adulthood: A National Portrait. Journal of Marriage and Family, 75, 1194-1202. doi:10.1111/jomf.12065
Comstock, D., Hammer, T., Strentzsch, J., Cannon, K., Parsons, J., & Salazar, G. (2008). Relational-cultural theory: A framework for bridging relational, multicultural, and social justice competencies. Journal of Counseling and Development, 86, 279-287.
Randall, E. (2008). Existential theory. In Coady, N. & Lehmann, P. (Eds.), Theoretical perspectives for direct social work practice: A generalist-eclectic approach. New York: Springer.
Smith Barusch, A. (2009). Love and ageism — A social work perspective. Social Work Today, 9(1), 12.


Using The Age of Love in the NURSING Classroom
    by Wendy Kopp, MSN RN-BC
    Interim Director/Associate Professor of Practice
    School of Nursing-Bismarck, North Dakota State University

INTRO
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as well as in the Holistic Care model, an older adult’s basic needs are no different from those of younger adults. Older adults still long for attention, support and connection, and seek meaning and purpose as a path to wellness. So it is imperative that nurses recognize, respect and encourage the intimate and emotional needs of seniors who strive both for optimal health and to realize effective and enriched lives.

There is so much in The Age of Love that shows us what intimacy means and what it provides, as we witness the words and behaviors of older adults who are dealing with isolation and loneliness and reaching out for new connection.

At a time in life when many losses and adjustments occur, older adults who feel unwanted and unloved are at risk for failure to thrive. Nurses have a responsibility to assess for isolation and loneliness, to encourage participation in social groups and to facilitate social activities.

Along these lines, the film The Age of Love illuminates many topics explored in the nursing classroom:
    1. How the effects of a shrinking social world for the older adult leads to an increased risk for isolation, loneliness and depression.
    2. How a life imbued with continued meaning and depth makes the thought of limited time more tolerable.
    3. How intimacy for older adults includes not only warmth, caring and sharing between individuals, but also the intimate exchange of words and touch, especially as other sensations are diminishing.

Nurses must role model positive attitudes to help older adults overcome stereotypes (including self-fulfilling ones that affect how seniors view themselves) as they educate and counsel regarding intimacy and sexuality. Improved understanding and humane attitudes toward intimacy can help the older adults of today and of the future reach their full potential in later life.

QUESTIONS
1) Discuss characters from the film in terms of developmental tasks. How do their concerns (e.g., health, body issues, appearance, loneliness) differ? How does each character navigate the developmental stages given their situations and limitations?

2) How does the movie open your eyes in terms of the need for intimacy within the older population? Discuss parallels in ‘failure to thrive’ among children at an orphanage with the experience of older adults who lack the comfort of intimacy and caring touch.

3) Ageism can lead to health disparity and unequal access to healthcare. When encountering older adults in your nursing career, it is essential to recognize insidious forms of ageism that can affect how they are judged. Define ageism and identify any forms of ageism you recognized or that came to mind while viewing the film. Also, how might isolation among older adults be a result of ageism?

4) Discuss the effects of gender differences in the older population, and how it affects a social event such as the one seen in the film. What issues do women face, recognizing that – given the numbers – it may be more difficult for them to satisfy developmental needs for love and connection?

EXERCISES
1) Each of the film’s speed daters was looking for something more in their life (e.g., touch, companionship, sex, marriage, replacing a lost spouse, etc.). Choose several characters and identify what each was seeking from the dating event in terms of achieving personal needs and pursuing their own conception of optimal health.

2) Identify the behaviors that make each of the film’s main characters either “ready for enhanced relationships” or “at risk for ineffective relationships.” Suggest interventions for those at risk. What specific methods can be used to help older adults achieve ego integrity?

3) One goal of the film is to encourage transformative learning. As a nursing student, reflect on how viewing the film will help you to better care for and respect older adults in terms of their need for intimacy, touch, sexual identity and other human needs. Which attitudes and actions of health care providers can have a negative effect on sexuality of older adults? Which can have a positive effect?

4) Consider socialization within an active community from a public health point of view. What opportunities are typically available to engage older adults? From what you've seen in the film, what new initiatives might you implement within your community? What about initiatives for those living in acute care or long-term care communities? How would you know that you’ve made a difference and that you’ve facilitated valuable change?

REFERENCES
Touhy, T.A. & Jett, K. (2016) Ebersole & Hess ‘Toward healthy aging human needs and nursing response. (9th ed.) St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
Eliopoulos, C. (2017). Gerontological Nursing (9th ed.) Wolters Kluwer/LWW.


Using The Age of Love in the GERONTOLOGY Classroom
    by Lydia K. Manning, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor of Gerontology
    Concordia University Chicago

Coming soon....


Using The Age of Love in the SOCIOLOGY Classroom
    by Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D.
    Professor of Sociology
    University of Washington in Seattle

Coming soon....


Using The Age of Love in the FAMILY THERAPY Classroom
    by Carol A. Podgorski, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor of Psychiatry
    University of Rochester

Coming soon....


Using The Age of Love in the RECREATION AND LEISURE STUDIES Classroom
    by Sarah Demmin, BRLS
    Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist
    The College at Brockport, SUNY

Coming soon....


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