SUN CITY – When families in Helsinki tune into the pro¬gram “Puoli Seitseman” (“Half of Seven” in English) this fall, they’ll be getting a glimpse into Huntley and a taste of the Sun City lifestyle.
Two documentary filmmakers from Finland visited Sun City in early July to film a segment for the newsmagazine program on YLE, Finland’s largest public television station. Filmmaker Risto Kuusisto has worked for “Puoli Seitseman” for three years and described the format as similar to “60 Minutes.” Each episode features several segments followed by commentary by Kuusisto as well as discussion with a celebrity.
“It’s very positive-oriented; it’s looking for solutions, ideas,” Kuusisto said.
Kevin Gore (left) and Risto Kuusisto (right) are filmmakers examining the lifestyle of American active adults for avsegment on the Finnish news program “Puoli Seitseman.” (Mason Souza/Sun Day Photo)
The segment will compare and contrast the differences of retired life in Finland and the U.S. The filmmakers gathered footage of Sun City residents enjoying golf, softball, yoga, and other activities to showcase the active lifestyles they lead.
“What’s surprising coming from Finland is looking at the attitude of senior citizens here; they see themselves as very active, continuing in doing things, whereas in Finland in my opinion, the attitude is; ‘Ah, retirement – I don’t have to do any¬thing,'” Kevin Gore, who has worked with Kuusisto on several films, said.
Gore said this notion affects the way retirement is presented and advertised to Finns.
“When you look at an advertisement in Finland, you don’t see someone playing tennis or golfing or doing active things,” he said. “They tend to be…not in a rocking chair, but sitting at a park bench looking at the sunset.”
The Finns’ link to Sun City is Gore’s mother, Kerry Gore, who lives in the community. A native of the Chicago suburbs, Kevin moved to Finland as an exchange student in college and today lives and works there as a university lecturer.
One thing the filmmakers believe their audience will find surprising is that American seniors are willing to move at a late stage in life to a brand new community. Gore said Finns are more likely to return to the places where they grew up.
“They respect tradition and want to feel rooted again where they came from,” he said.
Kuusisto also called the idea of a community made up only of seniors as “exotic.”
“When you mention this idea to Finns, they somewhat scoff at the idea that you would live just amongst your peer group,” Gore said.
Both filmmakers said they could not see themselves living in a community like Sun City, but acknowledged the benefits of keeping seniors mentally and socially active.
“If you ask now, I would say no, but you know, who knows? Twenty years is a different question,” Kuusisto said on living in Sun City.
The piece will also examine the serious issues of how seniors will impact Finland’s economy. Finland – like much of Europe – is experiencing a shift as its population of seniors grows.
“There’s a lot of discussion about that right now in our government and in media as well because they say that seniors are not well taken care of — that there’s not enough people, nurses, when they go to these senior homes, and there’s overmedication,” Kuusisto said.
Finland’s number of residents over 65 has increased from 12 percent of the population in 1960 to 18 percent in 2011, according to a report by ISI Emerging Markets. For comparison, Americans over 65 rep¬resented nearly six percent of the population in 1960 and rose to 13 percent in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The aging trend is predicted to make an impact by reducing Finland’s labor force. The Bank of Finland’s 2013 economic out¬look report states: “Steps need to be taken to help older workers extend their working life, but it is equally important to secure opportunities for young people to enter the labour market.”
The issue of an aging population is stacked upon the country’s other economic challenges. According to the Bank’s report, Finland’s exports remain at about one-fifth of their pre-2008 levels, causing Finland’s debt to grow as its government raises taxes and cuts spending.
Kuusisto said the program should air sometime this fall, and hopes it will be made avail¬able online. Should it become available, look for an update in a future edition of the Sun Day.
