Discussing the book "Cities on a Hill: A Journey Through Contemporary American Cultures" (published by Simon & Schuster) with the author, journalist Frances FitzGerald. Program includes an excerpt of a June 3, 1986 interview with activist and social worker Maggie Kuhn.

Studs Terkel interviews Sweden Prime Minister Olaf Palme at the House of Parliament. They discuss socialist political viewpoints and touch on a large variety of subjects. Major topics include work environment, working women, issues of ordinary people, industrialism, the post-industrial society, technology, and communities. Studs gives a short post script to inform listeners about the arrest of five journalists in Sweden, who were charged with exposing information about a secret police called the Information Branch. It was said that they jeopardized Sweden's security.

Studs Terkel interviews Debbie Zack and Denise Hennessey about their careers as nurses and why they decided to go into home nursing services.

Discussing the book, "The Politics of Medicare," and interviewing the author Theodore Marmor. Associate professor of Center of Health Administration studies at University of Chicago. Mr Marmor has been part of policy planning with the department of welfare, for medicare. He talks about National Healthcare or at the least affordable healthcare for all. He speaks of Medicare not covering all expenses specifically prescription drugs.

Interviewing political activists for senior citizens in the Chicago area: Leonard Fuchs of the Gray Panthers and Margaret Person, founder and director of Metro Seniors in Action.

Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers, discusses the elderly and nursing homes. Kuhn notes the separation we currently see of older generations from the rest of the population, often in the form of separate housing and how this only enforces negative stigmas of the elderly. Studs plays "Hello in There" - John Prine (1971) and "Me and Bobby McGee" - Janis Joplin (1971) which have been removed due to copyright.

In the of first of many appearances on Studs' radio show, Oliver Sacks discusses his book "Awakenings" and recounts several patient profiles from his groundbreaking treatment application of L-DOPA to sufferers of Sleeping sickness and Parkinson's disease. They explore his work in the context of Studs' concept of Feeling Tone and Sacks tells of a remarkable scene with aphasic patients reacting to a speech of then President Ronald Reagan.

Interviewing Maggie Kuhn of the Gray Panthers about the roles of senior citizens and the welfare of the aged in the United States. Kuhn talks about how society thinks once a person has retired, he or she is set aside or put to pasture. To the contrary, older people have a lot to offer with their wisdom, their knowledge and their experiences, says Kuhn.

Elma Greisel is the executive director for the National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform. Greisel talks about the continuing struggles of older people's civil rights when placed in a nursing home. She also talks about the abuse and neglect older people suffer when in a nursing home. We as a society, expect the best quality of care for those in the nursing homes, says Greisel, and yet the nursing home employees are not paid very well.