What is this teacher thinking?

My sons History teacher has a project that she has the kids do every year that coincides with her Depression Era segment. This project involves interviewing someone who lived during the Depression. Sounds like a good idea huh? One problem. Anyone born lets say when the Depression began in 1929 with the stock market crash would be 80 years old today. But an 80 year old wont really know what it is like to live thru' the Depression cause they are too young, just born, a baby. The Depression went from 1929 and ended around the beginning WWII (1939). So to do this project we need someone who was around during that 10 year span. Okay we are looking at 80-90 year olds. or older right? Well 80-90 is too young! For the most part they would have been children then and while their families may have been impacted on some level they aren't likely to see it that way because it is all they knew. My mother in law who is 95 right now was 15 during the hight of the depression. Her perspective would be vastly different then her parents but could give my son a good idea what the depression was like. At 15 she shoulder a lot of responsiblity in helping the family make ends meet. Only problem is she is 95, her memory isn't that great any more and her ability to share with my son, her grandson, what it was like is even worse.
How on earth does this teacher expect the kids to find someone, anyone who can adequately recount their experience and memories of the depresson? My son is going to interview his grandmother but we are not optomistic that he will gain the info. he needs. The project is worth 100 points to boot! What is this teacher thinking? Talk up setting up students to fail.
BTW her suggestion to the kids if they don't know someone personally who lived thru' the depression is to go to a rest home and talk to a complete (old) stranger! Ya right. Talking to an older, hard of hearing person who you know is difficult most times but make that a complete stranger makes it all the more so. I sure hope his grandma is able to give him what he needs or we will have to tour the assisted living home and find us a chatty old person. I will let you know how it goes :)