AGEISM

WHAT IS AGEISM?

 Ageism is a fairly recent coinage on the analogy of ‘racism’ and ‘sexism.’ The definition of ageism – treating a person less favorably than others because of his or her chronological age – gives an indication of its meaning, but in fact its implications are more complex than this approximate definition suggests. The term refers only to wrongful or unjustifiable adverse discrimination on the grounds of age. 

There are many ways to categorize ageism. Terms that describe where ageism takes place include:

• institutional ageism, which occurs when an institution perpetuates ageism through its actions and policies
• interpersonal ageism, which occurs in social interactions
• internalized ageism, which is when a person internalizes ageist beliefs and applies them to themselves

Ageism can also vary according to a situation. For example, hostile ageism involves someone having openly aggressive beliefs about age, such as that teenagers are violent or dangerous.

By contrast, benevolent ageism involves someone having patronizing beliefs towards people based on their age, su

ch as that older adults are childlike and require guidance with basic tasks.

Another way to categorize ageism depends on whether a person is conscious of it or not. If they are, this is known as explicit ageism. If they are not aware of it, this is known as implicit ageism. For example, if a doctor unintentionally treats older and younger patients differently, this would be implicit ageism.

5 COMMON EXAMPLES OF AGEISM IN DAILY LIVES

1. Attributing forgetting to our age.
   To forget is to be human. We don’t think twice about misplacing our keys in our 20s. We might experience frustration, but we would hardly attribute the loss of our keys to a “senior moment”. As we get older, we start attributing memory lapses to our age. Research tells us that perceptions of age-related memory loss are overblown.

2. Ninety percent of marketing dollars target people younger than 50!
   What’s shocking about this figure is that one-third of Americans are age 50 or older. Even more ironic is that older people have more income at their disposal than younger people and the number of adults 50 and older is projected to increase!

3. “Old people go there!”
   In my time as a professional, I have heard this statement in various ways and most often from people the venue is designed to serve. Most recently I was told about a 90+ woman who didn’t want to go to a senior center because that’s where old people go. Discerning her exact meaning is difficult, but her statement tells us that being around “old people” is undesirable.

4. Benevolent ageism refers to assigning protection/benefits to people because older age is assumed to identify need.
   Three out of every five people see older people as lonely. Many believe they have been abandoned by their families. While connection to the family is essential to preventing loneliness in older people, only one out of eight older people reported feeling lonely.

   Disability is also assumed to be common among people age 65 and older. While more common in older people than younger people, it is not as prevalent as one might assume based on aging stereotypes. In 2012, nearly two-thirds of people age 65 and older are reported to have had no disability.

5. Emphasis on looming healthcare crisis as the boomers age.
   Research shows the divide between expert knowledge and public understanding on aging. Among the general public, loss of control and deterioration are assumed to be natural parts of the aging process. In contrast, experts emphasize that features of our communities and homes are the key to maintaining health and independence as we age. Discussing the healthcare system without including social determinants of health (e.g. food access, walkability, crime, etc.) omits valuable pieces of the puzzle that explain how we experience aging.

HOW TO STOP AGEISM?

Today's older workers are better educated and living longer than any previous generation. They also want to remain in the workforce longer, but discrimination and outdated assumptions are making that a tricky proposition for many experienced employees, and overt acts of ageism are only expected to get worse as the number of older workers grows.

A recent investigation by ProPublica and the Urban Institute found that 56 percent of workers over age 50 report that they were pushed out of their jobs by their employers before they were ready to retire. Some of the comments heard by those employees include:

• "Older workers can't handle the day-to-day demands of the job."
  

• "They can't be retrained and are too hard to manage."
  

• "They cost too much money in salary and benefits."
  

• "They create too much risk of an employment discrimination claim."
  

Yet companies that allow biases to run rampant are sabotaging their ability to hire and retain talented teams at a time when they're facing three critical trends: record low unemployment, restricted immigration and an aging workforce that wants to remain actively employed.

While ageism is still present, we have made progress. Between the 1950s and 1990s, 80% of TV commercials used negative aging stereotypes. A recent analysis of TV commercials showed the use of negative stereotypes dropped by nearly 50%. What’s more, the emerging research suggests the key to squelching the impact of ageism is rooted in deliberate intergenerational activities.

Taking young people to nursing homes is not the first step. Well-meaning adults may not realize trips to nursing homes risk reinforcing negative stereotypes on aging (frail, feeble, sick, dependent, decline, etc.). What’s more, only 5% of adults age 65 or older reside in nursing homes. This is not to suggest that young people should never go to nursing homes. The key is to diversify their exposure to older people so they have more accurate information on what it means to be older.

AFFECT OF AGEISM ON MENTAL HEALTH

Growing older involves gaining maturity and becoming a more responsible and respectful adult. The process of aging can be viewed unfavorably by some people, who view it pessimistically, and this reduces the pleasure they may have gained from their own growth. Aging is often considered to be a challenging process, during which individuals lose their confidence and experience a loss of productivity. Significant declines in social and cultural status have been observed in older adults over the past century as a result of industrialization and modernization. The industrial age and technological advancements have increased the need for people to work efficiently and quickly to remain competitive. These changes have had the effect of decreasing the need for and visibility of older adults’ activities.

A growing body of research has observed an increase in negative attitudes toward older individuals over the years. Several studies have shown that members of the younger generations now exhibit more negative views and attitudes toward older adults than was previously the case. Negative beliefs and attitudes towards older adults are increasingly prevalent, which may add to the barriers that older adults face when seeking employment. Consequently, older adults are often considered to be merely passive recipients of welfare, and they may even be accused of being a burden to younger generations. The belief that older adults are less valuable or of no interest to society may contribute to ageism.

Ageism is stereotyping, prejudice, and discriminatory actions or attitudes based on chronological age. Ageism, therefore, can be operationalized as stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination, and each of those components, individually, can be seen as cognitive, affective, and behavioral. Consequently, age stereotypes are fixed beliefs that overgeneralize the characteristics, attributes, and behaviors held in common by a particular group. Age stereotypes can contribute to assumptions about a person’s physical and mental capabilities, social skills, political and religious beliefs, and other traits based on their age. A prejudice is a negative or positive emotional reaction to a person based on their perceived affiliation with a particular group. Age prejudice is one of the most socially vocalized and institutionalized prejudices in many segments of society, and it is disregarded in numerous aspects of social life. A discriminatory act is characterized primarily by distorted behavior that treats individuals in a non-constructive manner. Age discrimination is behavior directed at people based on their age, including actions, practices, and policies.

Ageism is a very serious issue. While it can theoretically be directed toward any age group, the vast majority of studies focus on older adults or late adolescents. Although ageism can be shown in terms of positive stereotypes or attitudes, it is most closely associated with negative stereotypes or attitudes. Ageism can manifest in two main ways: implicitly, through unconscious thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, or explicitly, through intentional actions or verbal expressions triggered by conscious awareness. Furthermore, ageism is not restricted to directed toward others but can also be self-directed. Exposure to ageism over time can result in the internalization of ageist attitudes and stereotypes, as described by in stereotype embodiment theory. Many older adults tend to internalize the negative stereotypes of ageism that continue to be perpetuated throughout society today and tend to confine themselves to age-related stereotypes, becoming weak, unhealthy, and even less able to accept new learning opportunities