Assisted Living Residents Reflect On The 50th Anniversary Of The JFK Inaugural Speech

“Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.” The insightful quote delivered by President John F. Kennedy in his inaugural speech fifty years ago on January 20, 1961 seemed as though it was tailor-made to fit the baby boomer generation. Baby boomers have now started thinking about Assisted Living Facilities and Skilled Nursing Facilities for their retirement. Even though the oldest boomers were only fifteen years old at the time, President Kennedy’s words exuded among other things, optimism, a hallmark of the generation. The birth of some 70+ million baby boomers indeed made history, and may even be the reason why they are in their own right, idealists.
Born in the post World War II era betwee
1946 and 1964, the generation grew up in a time of prosperity and reform in the U.S. that gave them the advantage of believing they could make a difference in the world. They questioned out dated authority systems and challenged the status quo. Born of parents who suffered through the hardships of the Great Wars and the Depression era, Boomers quickly discovered that life for them had so much more to offer. Boomers, well educated and widely associated with privilege, affluence and influence. As a group, they are considered the healthiest, most educated and wealthiest generation.

Echoed in the words of JFK, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty,” the boomer generation believes in freedom, at home and abroad. Their beliefs in the importance of individual freedom and choice as Americans spurred the generation into making tremendous contributions to various social change such as the civil rights movement, gay rights movement, feminist movement, right to privacy and rights of the handicapped. Over the last five decades since JFK’s inaugural speech, the generation has come of age and the majority of them have affirmed their commitment to establish and preserve these rights.

The admiration for President Kennedy extended well beyond a generation of Americans, and never seemed as evident as when I saw his framed photograph on the library bookshelf of a Russian immigrant. The “puposka,” as she liked to call herself, had left communist Russia with her elderly mother a few years after President Kennedy’s assassination. I once asked her about it and she said that, “he was a great leader and his pursuit of liberty was something we continue to strive for as a people.” So many of the inaugural quotes still ring true and hold credence today in our conflicted political climate. Some of the favorites are:

“So let us begin anew -- remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.”

“To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom -- and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.”

“Divided there is little we can do -- for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.”

Many Assisted Living residents fondly reflect on their fallen hero and his principles that still hold strong today. Some Assisted Living Facilities arrange story telling sessions so that children can learn about their residents' experiences during the times of JFK. The elderly citizens living in Assisted Living Facilities have a bonding experience with the children as they are able to pass on their stories and relive the moments of their life through their stories.