Caroline Cicero/Matthew Hoffman

When Matthew Hoffman decided to interview elderly people, to hone his skills as a TV host, he stumbled across a unique community project. Matthew, a writer and actor, is the founder of Tuesdays with Matthew, an acting class and video series for senior citizens in Los Angeles. The program, at an adult day care center, takes iconic scenes from famous movies and reenacts them with senior citizens in the lead roles. At a time when many elderly people say they enjoy good health, but often feel socially isolated and lonely, the class is a fun and novel way to inject new purpose into their lives. It may just help them to live longer. Dr. Caroline Cicero teaches social policy and aging at the University of Southern California, Davis School of Gerontology. She focusses on the intersection of aging, urban planning and the delivery of services to make local communities better places to grow old. For this episode of LLAMA, Dr. Cicero reviews Tuesdays with Matthew. She explains why it could promote longevity by focussing on aspects of life such as socialization, participation and inclusion. LLAMA host Peter Bowes spoke to Dr Cicero in Los Angeles and visited Tuesdays with Matthew to meet some remarkable, age-defying, seniors.