When 83-year-old Sergio is sent as an undercover spy to a Chilean retirement home to track suspected elder abuse, he learns a deeper lesson about human connection. Through the lens of the hidden camera in his decoy glasses, viewers watch as Sergio struggles to balance his assignment with his increasing involvement in the lives of several residents.

This guide is an invitation to dialogue. It is based on a belief in the power of human connection and designed for people who want to use The Mole Agent to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues, and communities. In contrast to initiatives that foster debates in which participants try to convince others that they are right, this document envisions conversations undertaken in a spirit of openness in which people try to understand one another and expand their thinking by sharing viewpoints and listening actively.

The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues in the film. Rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two that best meet your needs and interests. And be sure to leave time to consider taking action. Planning next steps can help people leave the room feeling energized and optimistic, even in instances when conversations have been difficult.

For more detailed event planning and facilitation tips, visit communitynetwork.amdoc.org.

Key Participants

Sergio Chamy – the octogenarian “mole agent”

Rómulo Aitken – a former Interpol agent and police detective, now a private investigator

Selected Residents

Petita – the poet

Berta – looking for romance

Rubina – suffers from short-term memory loss; suspects her daughter-in-law prevents her son and grandchildren from visiting

Marta – thinks she is a school girl and begs to leave

Key Issues

The Mole Agent is an excellent tool for outreach and will be of special interest to people who want to explore the following topics:

• Aging
• Ageism
• Elder Care
• Ethics
• Nursing Homes / Assisted Living / Retirement Communities

Care Options for Elders

Demographically, populations in many Western nations are aging, in part because elders are living longer than in past generations. This has led to an examination of the options available to families when an elder is no longer fully able to meet their own needs.

The variety of options has increased, especially in terms of resident focused design rather than staff-focused design (e.g., Eden and Green Home models). Creative options now include remaining in one’s home with assistance, independent living in designated retirement communities, assisted living facilities, nursing care that still allows residents some control over schedules and environment, and acute nursing care. However, availability of care is often limited, especially in public facilities. Private care options are expensive and out of reach for many.

Despite the expense of elder living facilities, pay for staff in these institutions remains low. Cases of abuse and negligence are not the norm, but they are not unusual.

Elder Care in Chile

Like other nations, Chile offers a mix of public and private options for dependent elder care. The government funds some nursing homes, but available spaces meet only a fraction of the need. Though health care in Chile is quite good (ranked by the World Health Organization as 33rd in the world, ahead of the U.S. and in Latin America, second only to Columbia), the responsibility to care for the elderly continues to be left to individual families with little government support. This means that long-term care for most elders takes place at home.

STARTING THE CONVERSATION

Immediately after the film, you may want to give people a few quiet moments to reflect on what they have seen. You could pose a general question (examples below) and give people some time to themselves to jot down or think about their answers before opening the discussion. Alternatively, you could ask participants to share their thoughts with a partner before starting a group discussion.

In a word, describe your reaction to the film.

If you were going to tell a friend about this film, what would you say? How would you summarize the film’s main message(s)?

Did you discover any common ground between the people in your family and the people in the film? What was similar to or different from your own experiences?

Was there any moment in the film that stood out to you as particularly moving? What was it about the scene that moved you?

THEME ONE: AGEING AND AGEISM

The help wanted ad starts: ELDERLY MALE NEEDED. Applicants note how unusual it is because usually their advanced age is “an impediment.” How have you seen ageism play out as elders try to remain active in the public sphere? What could your community do that would make it clear that elders are still needed?

Sergio explains to his daughter that he experiences the job training as “mentally tiring” but also “mentally liberating.” What was liberating about the work? What did you learn about grieving and aging from Sergio’s reasons for seeking work, agreeing to take the job, and training for the job?

Fumbles with digital technology are treated lightly in the film, but what are the implications of having significant segments of the population that aren’t comfortable with increasingly essential technologies? If people can’t or don’t access the tech that you routinely use, what sorts of gaps between generations or groups are created and how do we bridge them?

Why is Rómulo concerned that Sergio’s family will be okay with him moving into a retirement home for a few months? Should families have been involved in the decision at all? Are there any other concerns that the job seekers or their families could or should have been asked to consider?

THEME TWO: THE ETHICS OF DECEPTION

Rómulo asks Sergio, “Would you have a problem, say, for ethical or moral reasons, that would make you say, ‘I'm snitching on these old folks?’” What are the ethical issues involved in sending an undercover operative into a facility like the San Francisco retirement home? Would those issues change if the spy was a staff member rather than a resident?

The investigation is prompted by suspicion that staff members are mistreating residents, but staff are not the only people affected by the spy mission. What do you see as the impact on individual residents who develop relationships with Sergio, and on Sergio himself?

Residents don’t know that Sergio is a spy, but they do know there is a film crew making a documentary and that the facility has given permission for the crew to be there. At what point is the film crew simply documenting life at the retirement home, and when are they actually creating the story because they know that Sergio is undercover and he is essentially part of their team? Is it still a documentary?

THEME THREE: LIFE AT THE HOME

Rómulo notes having to follow the home’s rules “Because if every elder wants to go out, well, just imagine. Many of them are going to get lost.” What sorts of freedoms do residents of retirement or nursing homes trade in exchange for the care they receive?

Norma says, “It makes me sad when they bring people here who can be autonomous in their homes.” Her friend responds “But maybe he feels lonely at home.” How does life at the home amplify loneliness and also offer an antidote?

If you were considering living in or sending loved ones to live in the retirement home in the film, what would preserve and what would you change? Have you discussed with family your or their desires for long term care as you/they age? What care options exist where you live and what could you (and your community) do to make them better?

Which of the residents particularly caught your attention or sparked curiosity? If you could ask them more about their life story, what would you want to know?

Sergio’s “target,” Sonia, turns out to be “not a sociable person.” She has trouble standing and doesn’t want to be touched. These can be signs of Alzheimer’s disease, not feeling well, a cantankerous personality, or being abused. How would you tell? How would you train staff to distinguish between undesirable but inevitable problems and urgent issues requiring immediate intervention?

Sergio reports, “I'm looking at the rooms of ladies who are completely bedridden, who don't speak. One of them is unconscious. And the other lady doesn't speak either, she just makes faces, and puts her fingers in her mouth. Honestly, seeing these old ladies is really hard. They're… It's really no way to live a life. It's terrible.” What is your response to hearing descriptions of such suffering? What insights do Sergio’s observations provide for “right to die” or palliative care policy debates?

Sergio is elected “King” of the nursing home. What are the benefits and pitfalls of such events?

Petita tells Sergio, “I had four children, leaving all my joy for my old age, but here I am, and there's not that much joy. All four of them, I raised them, and what? They're quite ungrateful. They're not the kind who come around every Sunday. But I don't reproach them because to each his own. Because they have their obligations, they have other commitments. They're already married, they have other families. They can't just think about their mother. So I don't reproach them. If they don't come, they don't come. Life is cruel after all.” The lack of visits from children is an experience that several of the residents share. Rubira blames it on a jealous daughter-in-law, saying: “Before I grew old, I did everything for them, for my grandchildren, children, for everyone. And when I started to get sick… Since the old woman wasn't of any use anymore, they had to put her away.” What do you think accounts for the pattern? In what ways do you think visiting is affected by these factors:

• economics
• history of the particular parent-child relationship
• family situation of child
• gender of parent and gender of child
• religion or culture
• inability to process difficult emotions

When the film started, did you expect that Sergio would uncover mistreatment? What was your reaction to Sergio’s “final report”?:

“The residents here feel lonely. They aren't being visited and some have been abandoned. Loneliness is the worst thing about this place. There's no crime for the client to report to the authorities. Her mother is definitely in good hands. The target needs special care, and we don't know whether the client can provide it. I don't understand the point of doing this investigation. The client should do it herself, she's her mother. She should face her own faults. That's why she can't live with herself or visit her mother.”

In what ways is it a sign of societal progress, or signal of community breakdown that we have institutionalized senior living options like nursing or assisted living facilities?

THEME FOUR: NOT SO RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

Sergio has a tremendous capacity for kindness. How does this serve or interfere with his surveillance responsibilities?

Is it kindness or deception for nursing home staff to pretend to be Marta’s mother on the phone? How about when Sergio looks at the visitors book and finds that Rubira hasn’t had any guests suggests to Rubira (who misses her children) that perhaps they visit but that her short term memory loss prevents her from remembering? Is it possible for an unethical act to also provide comfort, or does the fact that it provides comfort make it ethical?

Like most homes for the elderly, this one has residents who contract serious illnesses, are hospitalized, and/or die. How do staff members and residents provide support to help one another cope with the resulting fear and loss?

CLOSING QUESTIONS

At the end of your discussion, to help people synthesize what they’ve experienced and move the focus from dialogue to action steps, you may want to choose one of these questions:

What questions do you think the filmmaker was trying to answer? What answers did she find?

What’s one thing you learned from the film that you wish everyone knew? What do you think would change if everyone knew it?

The people and events that this film documents are valuable because _____________.

Taking Action

This section suggests ways for viewers to get involved in their communities and address the issues expressed in the film. If the group is having trouble generating their own ideas for next steps, these suggestions can help get things started:

“Adopt” a senior living facility or nursing home to make sure that residents have regular visits, either in person or via computer, tablet, or phone.

Host a community-wide convening during which attendees get to design their perfect living arrangement as they age and need assistance. Share the results with public and private sector service providers.

Provide digital literacy workshops for senior citizens with the specific goal of helping them connect to families, friends, community, entertainment, and assistance. If needed, solicit funding to provide devices and ongoing online access.

Work with local residents to organize a wellness fair in an underserved neighborhood. Focus on health issues and prevention tailored to the needs of the elderly.

Resources

The Mole Agent - Home | Facebook @moleagentfilm

The Gerontological Society of America
A diverse range of resources on aging, including policy initiatives and the Reframing Aging project (@ReframingAging), a social change endeavor to combat ageism and highlight contributions of older people.

Alzheimer's Association | Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia Help
Information on Alzheimer’s and other causes of dementia, as well as resources for U.S. families dealing with the disease.

Article: “Nursing home models and modes of service delivery: Review of outcomes”

A 2014 Healthy Aging Research academic overview of varying models of institutional care for elders by Elizabeth Andersen, Michelle Smith, & Farinaz Havaei.

About the Author

Faith Rogow
Faith Rogow, Ph.D., is the co-author of The Teacher's Guide to Media Literacy: Critical Thinking in a Multimedia World (Corwin, 2012) and past president of the National Association for Media Literacy Education. She has written discussion guides and lesson plans for more than 250 independent films.

Discussion Guide Producer, POV

Courtney Cook, Education Manager

This resource was created, in part, with the generous support of the Open Society Foundation.