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My family's first TV set in 1948
我家1948年的第一台电视
had only three knobs that I quickly mastered:
只有三个旋钮，我很快就掌握了要如何使用：
an on-off switch, a volume knob,
一个电源开关，一个音量旋钮
and a channel selector knob.
和一个频道选择钮。
Today, just to watch a program
今天，为了要在我自家的
on the TV set in my own house,
电视上看个节目，
I have to operate a 41-button TV remote
我必须要操作一个 41钮的电视遥控器，
that utterly defeats me.
这完全难倒了我。
I have to telephone my 25-year-old sons
我只好打电话给我25岁的儿子们
and ask them to talk me through it
让他们在电话里一步一步地告诉我
while I try to push those wretched 41 buttons.
怎么操作那些可悲的 41个按钮。
What can we do to improve the lives of the elderly
我们可以做些什么来改善在美国的老人的生活
in the U.S., and to make better use of their value?
和更好地利用他们的价值吗？
That's a huge problem.
这是一个巨大的问题。
In my remaining four minutes today,
在我今天剩下的四分钟内，
I can offer just a few suggestions.
我仅能提供几个建议。
One value of older people is that they are
老人的一个价值是他们
increasingly useful as grandparents
作为祖父母，
for offering high-quality childcare
在为其孙辈提供高品质的儿童照顾上
to their grandchildren, if they choose to do it,
越来越有用，如果他们选择做这件事，
as more young women enter the workforce
因为越来越多的年轻妇女参与劳动
and as fewer young parents of either gender
以及越来越少的年轻父母中任一一方
stay home as full-time caretakers of their children.
留在家里全职照顾他们的孩子。
Compared to the usual alternatives
相比于常见的
of paid babysitters and day care centers,
带薪保姆和托儿所这些选择，
grandparents offer superior, motivated,
祖父母提供更优越，更有动力的，
experienced child care.
经验丰富的儿童照顾。
They've already gained experience from raising their own children.
他们已经从养育自己的孩子中取得了经验。
They usually love their grandchildren,
他们通常爱他们的孙辈，
and are eager to spend time with them.
并渴望能花时间和他们在一起。
Unlike other caregivers,
与其他护理人员不同，
grandparents don't quit their job
爷爷奶奶不会因为
because they found another job with higher pay
找到了另一份收入更高的
looking after another baby.
照顾另一个孩子的工作而辞职。
A second value of older people is paradoxically
老年人的第二个价值，矛盾的是
related to their loss of value
与其因世界状况和技术的变化
as a result of changing world conditions and technology.
造成的价值损失有关。
At the same time, older people have gained
与此同时，老人们获得了
in value today precisely because
今天的价值恰恰是因为
of their unique experience of living conditions
他们在那些如今已经罕见的生活状况上
that have now become rare
的独特经验
because of rapid change, but that could come back.
这些情况由于快速的变化而变得罕见，但有可能会再出现。
For example, only Americans now in their 70s
例如，只有70多岁或更老的美国人
or older today can remember
今天会记得
the experience of living through a great depression,
在大萧条中存活的经验，
the experience of living through a world war,
在世界大战中存活的经验，
and agonizing whether or not
和烦恼到底是
dropping atomic bombs would be more horrible
扔原子炸弹的后果比较严重
than the likely consequences of not dropping atomic bombs.
还是不扔原子弹可能出现的后果比较严重。
Most of our current voters and politicians
大多数我们当前的选民和政治家
have no personal experience of any of those things,
都没有亲身经历过这些事情，
but millions of older Americans do.
但数以百万计的美国老年人经历过。
Unfortunately, all of those terrible situations
不幸的是，所有这些可怕的情况
could come back.
都有可能再发生。
Even if they don't come back,
即使它们不再发生，
we have to be able to plan for them
我们必须能够为此做好准备
on the basis of the experience of what they were like.
基于经验所知的状况。
Older people have that experience.
老人们有这个经验。
Younger people don't.
但年轻人没有。
The remaining value of older people
我将要提到的老人的其他价值
that I'll mention involves recognizing that
是关于（我们需要）认识到
while there are many things that older people
虽然有很多事情，老人
can no longer do,
不能再做了，
there are other things that they can do
但也有其他的事情，他们仍可以做
better than younger people.
得比年轻人更好。
A challenge for society is to make use of those things
社会面临的一个挑战就是要利用那些
that older people are better at doing.
老人能做得更好事情。
