Living old / PBS ; written, produced & directed by Miri Navasky & Karen O'Connor ; a Frontline coproduction with Mead Street Films ; WGBH Educational Foundation.

For the first time in American history, "the old old"--Those over 85--are now the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. Medical advances have enabled an unprecedented number of Americans to live longer, healthier lives. But for millions of elderly, living longer can also mean a debilitating physical decline that often requires an immense amount of care, yet there are already fewer caregivers available to provide it. The new realities of aging in America include coping with multiple chronic illnesses, increasing frailty, prolonged periods of dementia, and sometimes decades of unhealthy longevity. As the nation ages, many believe that our health care system, with its focus on treatment and cure, is woefully ill-equipped to handle the new realities of long-term care.

MPAA Rating: Not rated.

Narrated by Will Lyman; commentators, Leon Kass, David Muller, Audrey Chun, Jeffrey Farber, Lillian Gleason, William Coch, Laure Ange Gaeckle, Clara Singer, Mary Ann DiBerardino, Lois Elliott, Lucia Paunescu, Estelle Strongin.

Originally broadcast by PBS as an episode of the television series FRONTLINE on November 21, 2006.