Expert Bios and Initial Interview Questions

Steve and Cathy Hobson  
Former high school teachers from Maryland who worked all the way up until retirement. They currently reside in a large beach house in Carolina Beach, NC. 

1. Where are you originally from? 
2. What drew you to the Wilmington area?
3. How long did you work in the education field? What did you enjoy most about the experience?
4. How has retirement been treating you? 
5. In what ways do you remain active in your community?
6. Do you attend a lot of local concerts/cultural events? If so, what have your favorites been?
7. What would you say are the pros to being a homeowner as opposed to living in a more secluded   community with only neighbors/residents of a similar age? Cons?
8. Do the majority of your retired close friends/family own their homes or have they chosen to move into active adult/independent living communities? 
9. How long do you plan to reside in your beach house? Any future plans to travel and/or move?
10. Would you ever consider living in an active adult/independent living community? Why or why not?

Andrew Zeldin, MS
Gerontology lecturer for the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences at UNC Wilmington
and works as a professional Certified Geriatric Care Manager. Andrew received his master’s degree in Gerontology from UNC Wilmington and completed the University of Florida’s Geriatric Care Management Graduate Certificate program. Andrew is also the owner of Assistance for Life Care Management which is a Wilmington, NC based geriatric care management company. He is an active member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers and serves as the Geriatric Care Manager Chairperson on the International Commission on Health Care Certification executive board. 

1. Are you originally from Wilmington? 
2. What do you love most about living in this area?
3. What encouraged/inspired you to study and teach gerontology?
4. Discuss your education and work background.
5. In what ways do you stay active and involved in the community as it relates to older adults?
6. Why do you think there is such a large percentage of retirees/seniors that choose to live in communities with only people of a similar age and still others that decide to live and interact with people of all ages?
7. What are your thoughts on the variety of living options offered to retirees/seniors? 
8. Why do you think there is such an attraction to North Carolina for retirement, specifically Wilmington?
9. Do you think options and services for retirees/seniors will become more or less accessible in the future? Why?
10. Discuss the importance of exploring and learning about the lives of older adults within the local community and society overall. 

Documentary Film Treatment

It is a sunny afternoon at a popular independent living community for the elderly, Carolina Bay at Autumn Hall in Wilmington, North Carolina. The outside provides a sprawling facade with a well landscaped courtyard that leads to the main entrance of the community. Seniors stay active by golfing on the lush, green fields surrounding the community, swimming in the clear blue indoor pool, and participating in relaxing yoga sessions with friends. They roam freely around their clean and safe neighborhood with other seniors and take pleasure in the simple life. A couple staff members describe their experiences working at this particular retirement community, including both challenges and joys they face on a daily basis. The staff goes into detail about the knowledge that can be learned from the elderly and how their interactions with the tenants have shaped who they are. Additionally, a select few residents explain why they chose to live in a community in the first place and interact with like them.. Their individual stories all represent the diverse backgrounds they come from and the various roads that have led them to this particular living community. One by one they discuss further in depth their backgrounds and history. They discuss growing into the person they are now and the journey that brought them to want to live here. They take us through a typical day in this community and the aspects they do and do not enjoy. They also demonstrate typical activities they engage in, including playing intensely focused games of bridge, making ceramics and painting in crafts class, and going on group field trips to orchestra concerts in the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Kenan Auditorium, unwinding to the sounds of piano and violins. These individuals represent how they choose to live in communities like Carolina Bay at Autumn Hall and how they enjoy their days and life surrounded by similarly aged people.

In an old, dark brick home in historic downtown Wilmington with vibrant-colored potted plants assembled on the outdoor patio and both framed art and family photos lining the walls within the home, an elderly couple sits down in their comfy leather chairs and discusses their life. They talk about everything from how they met, what they did for a living before retiring, and how they currently spend their time, as well as explaining why they chose not to move into a retirement community. They elaborate on how they have several friends in retirement communities and others who choose to live independently. They discuss in their mind the pros and cons of both situations and why they are extremely happy living independently for now. They talk about their family and how the decision they made to stay in their home is one that they are happy with. They enjoy being able to see their children and grandchildren often, from regular visits to special occasions. On a clear night, the couple ventures out into the heart of downtown for cocktails and appetizers at their favorite restaurant. As they walk down the street, college kids and middle-aged people crowd the narrow streets. The sounds of car horns and blasting music from nightclubs flood the air. The couple walks hand-in-hand, smiling, as they take in the nightlife scene. They like having the freedom to interact with people of all ages and go to various different events on a regular basis, constantly expanding their knowledge and adapting to the changing culture of the area. As they sit at the table they elaborate more about their life at home. The couple ends with a warm goodbye as they return home. The couple enters their home and the door closes.

Week 1 Research

In starting to research for my documentary short on the lives of individuals who have reached retirement age, I discovered a wide assortment of options for seniors ranging from active adult communities to independent living communities to traditional retirement communities, such as senior apartments and 55+ places, including the differences of each. North Carolina alone has over seventy communities in various cities and has become a popular spot for living due to its mild climate and geography, and cultural/recreational activities. Seniors have the complete freedom to pick and choose what kind of amenities they would like to have available to them and what kind of opportunities they would like to pursue whether it be taking classes, engaging in physical activities like golfing, swimming, biking, etc., or going to events outside their neighborhood with other people of a similar age. Some possible places our group can check out right in the Wilmington area are: Coastal Plantation, Plantation Village, Brightmore of Wilmington, and Carolina Bay at Autumn Hall in order to talk to both residents and staff. As far as seniors that live outside of these types of communities are concerned, I would like to try to find either individuals that live with their family or completely on their own in order to understand both the pros and cons to being immersed with both young and old people.