Original subtitles

I'd like to confirm. I've been getting the runaround for two hours.

How much money was missing?

Was it over a thousand dollars?

What is this?

What's going on?

This is Sarah Ford.

CK72114.

The Lakeview home has not been paid in over six months for taking care of this

lady. Mr. Bertram, I've explained this to you several times now. There was a

computer error.

The county is going to have to take the responsibility, Mrs. Corwin. If you're

not going to pay me to take care of this lady, you're going to have to take care

of it yourself.

How are those shoes holding up, Fred? They're 0 to 50 in an hour and a half.

Yeah, I'm looking for a new pair. Well, you can't have these. They're mine.

Possible? Yeah.

Yeah. What brand are they? These are Tiger paws or Tiger feet.

Some part of the damn tiger. I can't remember which.

Maybe I'll try those next.

Why don't we just have them? Yeah. Tell them Fred sent you.

Mentally give me a few bucks off on my next pair.

Okay. Okay.

Hey, listen, you mind if I move out? This place is a little slow for me. Not

all. That's what the hare said to the turtle, you know.

You're looking good, Lou.

Thank you, Marcia. On a day like today, you feel like you could run forever.

Yes. Do you mind if I move out? This pace is a little slow for me. Not at

That's what the hare said to the turtle, you know.

That's what I said, boy.

To be 60 again.

It was Oliver Wendell Holmes and it was 80. It doesn't matter, Lou. I think they

had the same thing in their mind.

I guess so.

He's through.

Why don't you come back for a minute? I'll fix you some breakfast. No, it's

of late, Fred.

Oh, come on. We've been... We've been jogging together for six months, and

you've never even been in my house.

Okay. Well, just juice will be fine. Just juice.

You got it.

You know, Professor, we've been okay.

Are you kidding?

This is California, Sonny.

They grow right out in the backyard.

Well, haven't you noticed?

I'm glad you didn't have to go to this much trouble.

More trouble to open the can.

Nice of you to hand me over.

Help.

Are you sure you don't have time for a couple of eggs?

No, not this morning, Fred. I got to shave and get to work.

I keep forgetting.

You guys that are still working, still watching that clock.

Well, we can't all be living the life of Riley like you are.

I paid my dues, you know.

I'm sure.

Been retired three years next month.

So, what have you been doing with yourself?

Well... In the morning, I jog.

In the afternoon, I usually go to funerals. Huh?

I'm serious.

For a while there, I was losing friends and relatives at a wicked pace.

I thought I had joined the funeral of the month club.

You work?

Yeah. Pretty.

That picture doesn't do it justice.

She died four years ago.

I'm sorry. Don't be.

We had a terrific life together.

I've had more pleasure than the man has the right to expect.

That's nice We had a fight of course, but we also had our making -ups.

I was felt the making -ups were worth the fight Don't break it gone. Sure

They make great juice the price ain't

there either

What is it? A heartwarming story of old age, greed, and bureaucracy.

Scott Bertram just dumped her in the county office?

Well, according to the computer, Mrs. Ford was a non -person. Bertram said he

got tired of picking up the tab for someone who didn't exist.

Charming. A bureaucratic tug -of -war with an 80 -year -old woman in the

Too bad it didn't happen in December.

Would have made a lovely Christmas piece.

I'll send Rossi out to the home. See if Billy can find out what happened to the

old lady. Okay.

I want you to go out to the Lake Vail Nursing Home. Take a look around.

Take a look around what?

Talk to this guy, Bertram. Talk to some of the patients. Get a feel for the

place.

Uh, Lou, I don't think I'm the best person for this. Why not?

Oh, uh, I'm just not that interested in old people.

What do you mean you're not that interested?

Well, I mean, I'm interested. It's just, I don't relate that well to them. You

don't relate that well to anybody.

So what?

So nothing.

She really loved her Ron Perkins. He's old. That's different.

Who's Ron Perkins?

Great old guy. Lives in my building.

Terrific story.

Really a lively old guy for his age.

How old is he? I don't know, but he must be pretty old.

He was in the Battle of the Bulge in World War I.

The Battle of the Bulge was in World War II.

You sure?

I was there.

Oh.

Well, you're kind of a lively old guy too, Lou.

Now, if you want to jump on this and blow it all out of proportion, I'm sure

can have a lot of fun. I don't want to blow anything out of proportion, Mr.

Bertram.

I just did it to make a point.

You take a look at this.

This is what Sarah Ford's care and feeding cost me in the last six months.

$5 ,400.

Came out of my pocket. I haven't seen one red cent from the county.

Are a lot of your patients on some sort of government aid?

More than half of them. That's why it's such an uphill battle for us.

Why? Because the government doesn't pay enough.

See, most of these people come out of private hospitals. The private hospital

gets $200 per day per patient. We're expected to provide the service for $22

day. It can't be done.

Now, money.

That's the big problem, money.

It usually is.

And, uh, let's face it.

By the time these people end up here, there's usually nobody out there who

really cares about them.

And half our patients have no family at all, so we have to provide for their

emotional as well as their physical well -being.

And we just do the best we can.

Mr. Bertram, Sarah Ford has a heart condition, doesn't she?

She has a series of ailments, that's the only one.

Given her medical history, how could you risk moving her that way?

Well, I had to do something.

I had to admit it was effective.

Can I help you? I'm Billy Newman, Los Angeles Tribune. I'd like to speak to

Sarah Ford, please.

Sarah Ford.

You sure she's here?

She was transferred here from the Lakevale home this morning.

Sarah Ford.

She met a gal.

I think so.

Here it is.

So let's hear it for Mr. and Mrs. Herman Siderwitz of Sarasota, Florida.

Where's Mrs. Ford?

Ford?

Sarah Ford, 2114.

The one they sent over from County Belfair.

She's not here.

Did you check her bed?

It's empty.

I don't know. You mean you don't know where she is?

She's in a wheelchair, honey. She could have gone very far.

No, it's possible that she went to get herself a soft drink or a cup of tea.

Oh,

that must be her. You see, that's how it is. They just wander around. They don't

care.

Mrs. Ford, you have a visitor.

There's a newspaper lady here to see you.

Mrs. Ford?

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here on A &E.

Hat. I made men's hats.

How long did you do that?

Not that long.

43 years.

43 years?

A lot of felt under the bridge, my boy. A lot of felt.

When I was in Detroit, this was 20 years ago, I had a beauty of a fedora.

Gray, brim about this wide, and a red and yellow feather about like this. The

statin. Very classy model.

I probably made it. Yeah.

See, we don't wear hats anymore.

Tell me about it.

We used to say, a good hat is like a good woman. Treat her right, and she'll

keep you warm and happy in your old age.

I know a lot of hat jokes.

43 years is a long time.

Oh, yeah.

I've been in the newspaper business 30 years, and I can't think of a single

newspaper joke except maybe what's black and white and red all over.

Funny, I thought I'd be a teacher.

I love kids. I love to be around them.

Ended up in hat school.

I can take my boy here, feed these freeloaders.

I don't know you had a son.

That's the worst thing there is.

What?

Out with your own children.

They didn't even know where she was.

You found her in the hall?

She must have wheeled herself out there, parked in front of the window, and

died.

The window looks out into an alley.

Did she have any family?

No one.

So, who was there to complain?

Pershing.

He says that they still owe him for the time that Sarah Ford spent at the

Lakeville home.

Well, I can understand the guy being upset after all he has out $5 ,000.

Still, there's no excuse for using helpless old ladies of porn.

I'd like to know more about the Lakeville home, Charlie.

What's new about nursing homes?

They've been a problem for as long as I can remember.

You were out there.

What did this Lakeville home look like to you?

Well, I didn't get to see that much. Bertram wouldn't give me the full guided

tour. Said he was concerned with patient privacy.

Yeah, he's a real sweetheart.

If nursing homes are still a problem, I think that's a story, and it's getting

bigger every year.

People get old, they retire, they watch TV. I don't see what the story is.

Rossi, by the year 2000, the majority of people in this country are going to be

older people.

So? So.

That's going to be us.

What kind of experience do you have?

Well, I work as a waitress.

Waitress. I know that's not a great experience for a nursing home. It'll do,

it'll do.

I like old people.

Pays $2 .99 an hour.

That'll be fine.

Start tonight?

Tonight.

Have a hearing problem?

Can we go over the options one more time? I hate the Russian in this kind of

thing. As I understand it, it's the mark.

Kaibo Brown with, oh yeah, with this Yosemite gray.

I think Yosemite is a kind of gold. Correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Finch. I

tried to make this as simple for you as I can.

It is the blue and the beige.

The brown and the silver. The black and the white. Now pick.

What exactly are we trying to say with this rule?

This is the...

floor conference room. They're trying to create an atmosphere that is

comfortable and yet stimulating.

It's creative yet disciplined.

I feel creative and comfortable when someone remembers to clean the ashtrays

there. Thank you, gentlemen. That will be all. I don't know what I had in mind

when I asked you up here. Yes, what is it? Oh, Mr. Grant, it's Mr. Donovan for

you.

Yeah, Art.

Okay.

Are we through here?

On our way down.

Billy's back from the nursing home.

Mr. Newman in a nursing home?

Is it Pressville or business?

It's business.

We're doing a story in the one store. She's following up on possible

at this Lakevale nursing home.

Rossi was out there, but they wouldn't let him see too much.

What did he see? A lot of old people sitting around.

Not sure if they're alive or dead.

Sad, isn't it?

Undoubtedly. And in many cases, very tragic.

But there is always a part of me that...

I cannot comprehend how anyone cannot be sure whether he's alive or dead at any

age. Isn't that a harsh judgment, Mrs. Pinchot?

Oh, yes.

Yes, it's harsh on those who are ill or senile, but that's not what I'm talking

about. It's the ones who aren't sick that I can't understand.

You know, a lot of these people don't have very much left in their lives.

Which leads me to suspect they never did, even when they were young.

She feels sad, doesn't it?

Yes.

Very.

And very lucky.

You didn't answer any references at all?

I was breathing. I think that was reference enough.

Did you tell anything about the place?

No, all I saw was the nurse's station.

Well, you see it all at night.

Come on, Charlie. Don't look so uncomfortable.

Wait a second.

I want us to be very careful when we get this close to misrepresentation,

especially as a nurse. I'm only going to be working there as an aide.

Ross, he tried to get a look inside Lakeville home, Charlie.

Bertram wouldn't let him. That's a good point.

I mean, if this guy Bertram is running a shady operation, that could be

dangerous for you, Billy. I'll be careful.

Yeah, well, let's just hope that's enough.

One day I was okay to do the job, the next, too old.

Mandatory retirement was still legal then, huh? Mm -hmm.

The age was 65.

The next morning, the alarm went off. I got up, got dressed, made myself a

sandwich.

I was halfway out of the driveway when I realized you don't have a job.

Have you tried anything else? Yeah.

I got my name in a couple of places.

Something's going to break soon.

I'm just thinking if there's anything down at the Trib.

Hey, come on. Let's not turn this into clean for a day. I'll be out.

I'm not talking about charity. I'm talking about a real job.

And a newspaper for a guy who spent 40 years making hats?

Come on.

Maybe you could make paper hats.

You've been reaching in here with a fork, haven't you?

Oh, yeah.

I'm sorry. The toast takes a long time to pop up, especially with the thick

bread, you know?

You're a bad boy, Lou. You really fouled this thing up.

Will it live?

I used to take my toast out with a fork also.

As I got older, however, I found the patience to wait until it popped up.

Lucky for you, before that I learned how to fix a broken toaster.

There, she's all yours again.

Take care of her.

A good toaster is like a good woman.

Treat her right and she'll keep you warm and happy in your old age.

This column here lists medications and dosages.

Oh, I'm not qualified to dispense medications.

You don't dispense them, nobody else will.

Well, what about you?

I'm off in a couple of minutes. Well, isn't there going to be anybody to

you? Three of the eights called in sick. The other one is on vacation.

You mean I'm on duty by myself?

Anyone makes a break for it, just shoot them.

I'm kidding.

I'm not sure I can handle this.

You'll be fine.

Anyone acts up, just give them some of the orange juice.

Orange juice?

It's a magic kind of juice. It has extra added ingredients.

A lot of vitamin S, as in sleep.

Oh.

Anyway. They're usually pretty quiet at night. There are only 42 of them.

Any trouble, the doctor's name is on the chart.

Oh, okay.

I left a couple of soft drinks in the fridge. Help yourself. Thanks.

Don't drink BOJ by mistake.

Getting older is such a gradual thing, you don't really notice it.

You don't look in the mirror and say, yeah, I look older today than yesterday.

One day you turn on the football game and the quarterback would play your

grandson or younger Read them and leap.

I thought you were saving sixes for strays ladies Not too bad. You only get

Well, that's it. I hope you're a better newspaper man.

You owe me a dollar 23 I need some time to put my hands on that kind of cash.

I know

Sorry if I chewed your ear off tonight.

I didn't mean to gap so much. I enjoyed talking with you.

I hope I didn't sound like a complainer. Not at all.

Good. Thanks for fixing this, Fred.

Thanks for the game.

It was fun.

Fuck 23, Lou.

Cash. No checks.

Sorry, did I startle you?

I didn't expect nobody to be here.

I'm new.

Calvin. Billy.

Things seem pretty quiet, huh?

Yeah, so far. I gave out a few orange juices.

Yeah, that stuff really does the trick.

Calvin, what did you mean you didn't expect anybody to be here?

Well, I know Marcia and Roberta, they age. That's it.

And Mrs. Carter never works tonight, so I just figured there wouldn't be nobody

here. Or who would watch the patients?

Has that happened?

That no one was on duty?

Oh, sure. Especially during the holidays.

People want that time off, you know.

How long have you been here?

About a year.

How many nights do you think were there when the patients were left all alone?

Hard to say. Probably a dozen or more.

But you know, even during the daytime, ain't that many staff people around.

Well, how do they manage?

Ain't really that much to manage.

The old people just kind of sit there, you know?

Yeah. This should have something for them to do now, don't you think?

Help.

I need help.

Somebody help me.

Oh.

Mrs. King.

Oh, where does it hurt, Mrs. King? I've got a pain right here.

Would you like some aspirin? Maybe that would help.

She's allergic to aspirin. You better call the doctor.

Okay.

Don't worry, I'll see you in a minute.

3452, hold please.

Go ahead, please.

I need to speak to Dr. Halston.

Would you put me through to him, please?

Is this an emergency?

Yes, it's an emergency.

Well, give me your number and I'll have the doctor call you right back.

555 -6107. Thank you. Would you tell him...

Working as an aide at the Lakevale Nursing Home.

Well, where's Marcy Roberta?

They're not here. Would you just listen to me for a minute?

It's Mrs. Keaton.

She's in ward five in the bed by the window on the left side.

I know who she is. She's in terrible pain. She's got pain in her shoulder.

having trouble breathing.

I think you should come right away.

I'm sure it can wait until morning. No, I don't think so. No. It's probably her

arthritis flaring up again. Give her three aspirins and hot coffee.

She's allergic to aspirin. It says so on her chart.

You're going to be okay. I'm going to give you something for the pain.

Thank you, nurse.

I'm not going to leave you until the doctor comes.

Thank you.

Lou Brandt will continue in a moment here on A &E.

Oh. Here you go.

Oh, thank you.

What time is it?

About 7 .15.

Did you fall asleep too?

No, I've been working nights too long. I usually don't go to sleep till around

noon.

Good morning. How are you feeling?

A little better, thank you.

Can I have some water?

I did.

Yes, that's better.

You're very sweet.

You know, I've been here two years.

And I hope I die before I have to be here another two years.

Where would you rather be?

Did your grandchild drive it?

No, I did.

Do you have any family?

My daughter lives in Torrance.

She'd love to have me, but she has three or four ones that she has to take care

of. How are you? Good morning, Miss Newman.

I'm Dr.

Halston. And how are you this morning, dear?

Good, I guess.

Would you step outside with me for a moment, Doctor?

Of course.

Doctor, that woman was in pain. She could have been dying last night for all

knew or all you knew. As you can see, it wasn't an emergency, was it? You don't

care about her. You just didn't want to leave your party or whatever it was.

It's nothing, John.

Oh, what do you mean, nothing?

There's a woman in there that could have died last night. I called the doctor

and he refused.

Come on, I can't understand such indifference. That poor what?

Get out. You're fired.

Sometimes I think I'm going to live with my daughter.

Where is she?

Chicago. Oh, I don't know, Fred.

I don't see you being a Bears fan.

I don't see me freezing my tail off in the winter either.

Do you have kids?

Three? Yeah.

Yeah, I see them once, twice a year.

Always get their names mixed up.

Tracy, Kirsten, and Justin.

Tracy, Kirsten, and Justin.

Sound like a law firm, don't they?

Anyway, it costs so damn much to fly there, and I'm not really up for that

of drive.

Well, you know, Fred, I've always got a couple of bucks.

It's very nice of you, but I couldn't take it. money.

Unless you do between going and... Hey, one of these jobs is going to come

through. As a matter of fact, I'm going in this afternoon.

Oh, that's great, Fred. Good luck. Let me know how it turns out.

Yeah. You think I can pass the 38th?

Got it.

Well, you'll have to cross out the expletives yourself. I didn't have the

It's a good job, Billy.

Thanks.

Why don't you go home and take a little nap?

I can. I've got to go out and see Barbara Corwin at the county office and

out why a place like Lakevale is still operating.

Rossi can take over for you.

Oh, no. This is my story. I want to follow through.

You look a little beat.

There's a little life in me yet. I can make it through this afternoon.

You're off.

Rossi's on.

Go home and get a little rest.

Okay.

Listen, I want to fill you in. There's a couple of questions I want to make sure

you ask.

Well, the kind of stuff you pick up on a guided tour, huh?

Okay, that settles it. I've decided I'm not getting old.

When my dad got sick, it was the one thing he always asked me. First thing

of his mouth in the morning.

Don't put me in a hole, Charlie. Don't ever put me in a hole.

And we did.

He died in his own bed, TV on, hop along, casting a movie, playing.

He was 86 years old.

Yeah, well, it's nice when you have those options.

It's true.

We had money, we had the room, we were lucky.

It seems there ought to be other choices than to put someone in a place like the

Lakevale home.

Yeah, well, that's not always the case.

What happens when you have no money, you have no room, you have a house full of

kids?

When I was a kid, my grandmother was in a home.

And every Sunday afternoon for two years, we'd go out there to visit her.

We'd come back Sunday night. My parents would fight and cry and throw things.

We were just kids, but I kind of remember.

What I keep thinking is Lakeville's only one home. How many other Lakevilles are

there that we don't know about?

Maybe Rossi can pick that up out at the county office.

Yeah.

Does it worry you, Charlie?

Getting old?

Every man desires to live long, but no man would be old.

Jonathan Swift.

Yeah, it doesn't really worry me.

Not if I stay healthy.

Yeah, I think that's the key, isn't it, huh?

Actually, in a lot of ways.

I'm more comfortable with myself now that I've reached my middle years.

How's that?

Well, you might not realize it until you look at me, but as a youth, I was

consumed with a kind of overwhelming sexual drive which colored most of my

waking moments.

You mean you were always horny?

You like to break things down to simple terms, don't you?

Well... It was more than that, really. It was different.

I am talking about an energy level that was so high, there was nothing I

could find to compete with it. I could barely sit still to read the paper for

crying out loud, let alone a high school geometry test.

And now?

Oh, I read an occasional magazine or professional journal.

Thanks.

What about you?

I don't think it has to be.

I've become friendly with a guy.

A jogger. Must be in his early 70s.

Still active, still has a sense of humor.

I like being around him.

I find myself looking forward to seeing him, you know?

I know I'm not looking for a father figure, but I enjoy the contact with the

generation just before us. A lot of strength and warmth.

Used to be people stayed in one place.

Stayed with their families.

There are always old people around.

Now, if you live in the marina, you can probably go for months without seeing

someone who's over 40.

Or sell it without hair.

And I don't think they're any better for it, either.

We'd have loved to have given Mr. Bird from his money, but there was a computer

error, and then he refused to sign his 4406.

Now, we're not authorized to disperse funds without the 4406. Our legal

department is adamant about that.

I'm sure Mrs. Ford would have understood.

There are 400 nursing homes in L .A. County, Mr. Rossi. Some of them are

better than others, obviously.

We've had a terrible time with Mr. Bertram. How many others are as bad as

Lakeville home?

Well, hopefully none.

Putting hope aside for the moment, how many?

None that we know of or they wouldn't be operating.

And they keep checking at the homes from time to time? Oh, of course. And we

have a line where people can call in and find out which homes are approved.

That's something.

We do the best we can, Mr. Rossi, given our budget and our personnel.

I mean, society has not exactly deemed this a number one priority, you

understand. I mean, it takes something like this Lakeville incident to bring

press out here, for example.

You've got to admit it's a story.

For me, the real story is the fact that we are willing to allow a million people

in this country to exist in substandard nursing homes. I mean, to be literally

put on the shelf.

It's the last segregation.

Age.

Are there any alternatives?

You know, if ordinary people, like housewives for instance, would volunteer

morning a week at nursing homes, they could observe, they could blow the

on these offending homes.

A lot of this could be accomplished with community involvement.

I don't know. It seems to me if you've got nursing homes, you've got problems.

Well, there are alternatives to nursing homes.

Here's a place to start.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here on A &E.

This is actually a daycare center for the elderly.

We pick people up and bring them here where they can interact socially, get

therapy. And everyone goes home at night? Absolutely. We pick up and

This allows our people to be home in the evenings with their families, with

younger people.

Gives some variety to their lives.

But isn't that natural, Dr. Beckman? I mean, you get old, you retire, you want

to be with people your own age.

I'm trying to think of a polite way to say this.

Poppycock. Poppycock?

In other words. I think I know the other words.

How many patients do you have? We prefer to call them members.

Okay. How many members do you have here?

Well, now we've got 22. We could go higher if we had more funds.

What's a typical day like?

You name it.

Gourmet cooking, a movie, parental guidance, of course, creative writing,

exercise. We're very flexible.

It's terrific.

It's more than that.

It's the difference between being in a nursing home and being here.

And I'll tell you something, there are a lot of people in nursing homes who

don't need to be there.

There's no good reason why we can't provide our old people with a community

living instead of a place to wait to die.

I'm sorry.

There's just nothing for you.

I wouldn't need much.

I'm part -time with you. Look, you put in your time.

Why don't you just sit back and enjoy what you've got coming? I don't want to

sit back.

I want to work.

I'm going to be blunt with you, because I like you.

Now, you've been coming in here for about eight months now.

I hate to see you wasting your time like this. Why don't you just give it up?

I'm good with my hands, you know.

I'm kind of a fix -it guy. I'm not sure it's on the application.

I'm trying to be nice, Mr. Horton.

I can't find jobs for guys half your age. Guys with a family. Guys who really

need a job.

You expect anything to open up in the next few weeks?

I could come back.

Bob, don't waste your time.

Hey, how you doing, mister?

Everything okay, Bob? Come on, leave me alone.

Get out of here.

Get out of here.

Get out of here, both of you.

I missed you out there, Fred.

I took the morning off.

I was wondering how you did at the employment agency. What's that?

It's nothing.

It doesn't look like nothing. Let me get a better look. If I say it's nothing,

it's nothing. What are you, my father?

Okay.

So it's nothing.

What happened at the agency?

Also nothing.

I can't find jobs for real people. How are they going to find one for me?

Come on, what do you mean real people? You're real people. Uh -uh.

I'm old people. There's a difference.

I'm not supposed to be part of real life anymore.

I'm supposed to be happy sitting in a rocking chair somewhere, dribbling

down my chin.

I've been thinking.

You need something to keep you going until you get a job. Something you

Maybe join a recreation center.

I'll try that, Lou.

Sat around all day making ceramic ashtrays.

How many damn ashtrays can you make?

And people don't even smoke that much anymore.

Fred, you know what it is? I've been thinking.

One thing I do have is a lot of time to think.

I've been working since I was 14 years old, selling papers, waiting tables,

whatever.

It really didn't matter.

Good people worked, and bums didn't work.

I can't shake that feeling.

When I get up in the morning and I don't have a job to go to, I feel like a bum.

That's crazy. I know that. I know that, but that's how I feel.

I could still do a job, Lou.

I know you're curvy. Look, I don't want to take the bread and butter out of some

young guy's mouth. I know they need more dough.

Give him my old job.

Give him the bulk of the responsibility.

But keep me there to break him in, to help him, to show him a couple of

I mean, 40 years, Lou. I must have learned something in 40 years.

Took it okay.

You got a cut on his forehead four stitches.

How much money you lose about $20 I saw How's Fred taking for the

first time since I've known him he looked over me Those punks took more

money Charlie, it's like they took his confidence.

He seemed tentative and nervous and bitter That kind of random street

is frightening even for younger people. It must be terrifying for an older

person. I think for the first time, Fred realized how vulnerable he is.

Where are you going? There's only three. I have a 930 meeting of personnel.

Listen, Lou, if there's anything I can do... Yeah?

Yeah.

You ever do any planning for your retirement?

You trying to tell me something, Lou?

I'm serious, have you?

Know the story about the grasshopper and the ant?

Grasshopper played the fiddle while the ant stored food for the winter.

Yeah. Well, I'm more of a grasshopper than an ant. Uh -huh.

Well, you better put down the fiddle and look around. It's snowing.

Oh, thanks.

What about you? Have you planned your retirement?

Not too much, no.

What do you think you'll do?

Well, I have three daughters. I can always visit them.

There you go. There's three weeks out of the year right there.

No, it's really only two. I don't think I could spend a whole week with Sarah.

Oh. Do you like golf?

No. Tennis?

Not really.

Do you like vacations? I hate vacations.

You ought to really enjoy your retirement.

I'm going out to L .A. to you.

Taking a class in journalism?

I'm going to interview some old bitty from the Great Panthers. Probably have a

cup of tea, talk about the good old days.

You can't really get involved with old people, Rossi. What's up?

Well, you've got to know what to look forward to, right?

Yes, I'd like to see Billy Newman.

I'm the city editor. Can you tell me what it's about?

The woman in the nursing home story, Miss Keaton?

She's my mother.

Thank you.

Lou Brandt will continue in a moment here on A &E.

A &E returns to Lou Brandt.

Do you know what it's like to be around a 75 -year -old woman 24 hours a day?

No.

Let me tell you something.

It ain't easy.

I'm sure.

If you had to make the choice, you'd have done just what I did.

That place is worse than a prison.

You have to understand, Miss Newman, we had no idea that things were that bad at

the Lakevale home.

It looked fine when we first saw it.

And when we'd go to visit, everything looked normal.

They fix the patients up when they know the families are coming and they fix up

the place.

We went through such trauma the first time when we made the decision to place

Mom at Lakevale.

I don't think I can go through that again.

Is there any chance that you could keep her at home with you?

No, not really.

There's not much room, not much money for full -time care.

Besides, my mother wouldn't be happy there.

Your mother would rather spend one day there than ten years in a nursing home.

Any nursing home.

She told you that?

Mm -hmm.

When she was there, before we put her in the home, it was hell.

With three kids of my own and a job, I couldn't give her the attention that she

needed. And I've got a husband who... Well, it was either put Mom in the home

break up my marriage. It never stopped.

There's a program that I just heard about. It's fairly new.

It's daycare for old people.

They could take care of your mother during the day and return her to your

at night.

I don't know if I can ask my family to put up with her. She's so demanding.

Getting up in the middle of the night to take her to the bathroom is like having

a 70 -year -old baby in the house. You just don't know.

Now, I've been reading in the Eskimo culture...

The old people, when they feel that they can no longer take care of themselves,

they voluntarily decide that it's time to end their lives.

And they just go out on an ice floe and fade away.

I wonder which is more humane.

I don't want to be late for my next class, Mr. Rossi. The prof is a real

Do you like to carry your books?

Last man who carried my books married me.

You don't have much of a sense of humor, do you, Mr. Rossi?

How can I help you with this story?

Well, we started out doing a piece about nursing homes, and it kind of turned

into a larger piece about the problems of old people. Well, let me stop you

right there, because you're making a fundamental mistake.

I didn't think I had time to make a fundamental mistake.

You can't take this oppressive group of people as elderly Americans, tag them

with the term old people, and expect them to have a common set of goals,

desires, or problems, which is why the Gray Panthers exist.

Old people are getting the shaft.

All I said was we wanted to do a piece about old people.

Fascinating subject.

Hey, I got an A - in Walker's midterm.

Okay, let me start over.

Are there a common set of problems that older people face?

Lack of money, illness, and isolation.

Those are the three biggies.

Two of those will practically incapacitate a person.

One of them can make life difficult.

And those are the people who usually wind up in nursing homes.

And most people who enter nursing homes die there, usually within two years.

They don't have to. There are alternative programs that allow older

stay in their own homes in familiar surroundings.

They take money and they take commitment, but they work.

Did you hear about Meals on Wheels?

Yeah, sure. That's where people who are shut -ins have hot lunches brought to

them. Right. Now, that's effective.

There's also telephone call -ins.

Every day I have four people I call just to say hi and see how they are.

It doesn't take much time.

But anything we can do to help keep these folks out of nursing homes is

it.

Can't there be such a thing as a good nursing home?

Even the best of them is just a place to wait to die.

I thought nursing homes were a great investment.

They are. And a lot of people involved are making money.

And you're talking about a $14 billion industry.

And why are the conditions in our homes so bad?

Because a lot of businessmen put profit ahead of patient care.

They cut corners to make a buck. What else is new?

Charlie, I'd say you've got a full week of material if you want to go with it.

The Grang of Los Angeles, huh?

I think it's a worthwhile area.

You've got the daycare piece, the piece on the Great Panthers.

Plus, I found an employment agency that specializes in jobs for old people. You

got the full number of that agency?

Sure.

You looking for a job, Luke?

No, but I know somewhere who is. Here it is.

Did you know that a lot of daycare centers and hospitals are using older

as surrogate grandparents?

Grandma for a day.

Well, somebody's got to make you finish your soup. I'll tell you something else.

There's a real crisis in crime protection for the elderly.

I mean, they are such convenient victims for street violence and home

burglaries. They're easy prey for all kinds of fraud. Home repair, insurance,

retirement land. They're like sheep in a woolen stand.

Can't you talk about anything else? This is interesting.

I think I like it better when you even care about old people. At least I can

my lunch in peace.

I'm on my way.

Can you check this yourself?

Of course.

Now come take my mother home.

I think you're making a rash decision, Mrs. Mariani.

Look, you can keep Mrs. Keaton here.

You have a lot of nerve coming back here. You lied to me when you got the

and you lied in the story. I'd be happy to hear your side of the story, Mr.

Bertram.

Remember that cow misspelled a C -19.

What are you doing up after 11 .30 in the morning? I didn't want to miss this.

We could get better coverage on this redevelopment story.

I thought Burroughs did okay.

I'm talking about the style, Lou. It's our whole approach to the story.

The city may or may not get out some vacant buildings, Charlie. It's not

the pride and the passion. I thought he got the most out of it. He ain't gonna

move against Bertram in a Lakevale home.

Fraud, commingling of funds, and kickbacks from suppliers.

Terrific. How's this Keaton doing? Okay, daycare by day, home care by night.

I'm gonna see you at lunch if you wanna come.

No, I can't. I gotta meet a friend of mine at work.

I get $2 .90 an hour to start, but I'll move up.

You here five days a week? Sure.

Well, what about your jogging, Fred? With these kids, I don't have to worry

about exercise.

That's fun.

That's a job.

How about babies?

Nice work if you can get it.

Thanks. Hey, cut it out. You got the job yourself.

You know what? What?

Forget the $1 .23 you owe me.

Grandpa! Grandpa!

Daddy, come on!

It's done?

We'll show you, Grandpa!

Okay. You guys go ahead and I'll be right behind.

Nice kids. Yeah.

I got something for you. What?

What do you got?

They were soldiers who symbolized the American spirit. We'll explore the

of Washington and his men at Valley Forge on the American Revolution.

An A &E special presentation tonight.

And now a cop on the vice squad makes the jump to homicide when a prostitute

found murdered on Police Story, next on A &E.