Ageism : The Stereotypes Of Discrimination Of The Older Age

Ageism and stereotypes of older people can have an important impact on their physical health, mental health and overall wellbeing. Negative stereotypes of older people being dependent and decrepit can be internalized and become self-fulfilling. These ageist thoughts and stereotypes can lead to older people not seeking health care in general and to not get treatment appropriate for their illness or medical condition due to their age and not based on any other factor.

“Ageism has been called the ultimate prejudice, the last discrimination, the cruelest rejection,” Stein (unpublished). We as a people have defeated for the most part racism and sexism, but we have allowed the third great “ism” to remain unchallenged. “This widely practiced prejudice has gone on for generations and is known as ageism,” (Palmore, Erdman, Ballagh (1999). By definition, according to Webster’s Dictionary, it is discrimination against person’s of a certain age group. Ageism includes both positive affect and a negative connotation with any given age group. It is predominately seen as a reflection on the elderly. Positive aspects of ageism on the elderly include medical care, discounts and tax

Ageism is prejudice and discrimination against older adults. (Schaefer, 2012) It is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify age based prejudice, discrimination, and subordination. This may be casual or systematic. The term was coined in 1969 by

Ageism is described by "Ageism in America is Hurting Us All, a webpage about senior living, as “a prejudice against older people” ("Ageism in America is Hurting Us All). Provided by the same source, it is explained that “according [to] the World Health Organization, ageism is most rampant in high-income countries, like the United States” ("Ageism in America is Hurting Us All). According to "Ageism in America is Hurting Us All, they found, in a study, that 70% of older Americans concur they had been insulted or mistreated, because of their age. Furthermore, American Society on Ageing, a website giving knowledge about older adults, reported “the term ‘ageism’ was coined in 1969 by Robert N. Butler, M.D., [at the time was a 42-year-old psychiatrist]”

Ageism is becoming a major problem. The elderly population is predicted to double in the next eight years, having the effect of older people in the workforce, medical patients, and community members. This causes younger people to be around older people more often causing them to make generalizations. There has been an increased effort to stop age discrimination. Ageing is a natural occurring thing so most people in their lives will be affected by ageism. For one to fully understand ageism, one must know the definition, stereotypes, and the effect of those stereotypes.

Ageism can operate as implicit thoughts, feelings, and behavior towards older people that occur without conscious awareness or control. These can be myths, beliefs or misconceptions about aging. One example of ageism that I have witnessed in health care is the misconception about the cognitive or functional decline. I have worked with elderly for about 7 years and at least 75% adult I have interviewed during my education sessions has expressed this misconception. A good example is the perception that, when someone is wheelchair bound then might have other disabilities and we tend to speak louder or talk like we are talking with a child.

Unfortunately, ageism does exist in the United States. I think the main place I have seen ageism is in the media. It is rare to see older women and men in shows or films. We have been taught that the young beautiful girl, or the young handsome man are the ones who should be the main characters. I believe Hollywood can do a much better job creating roles for older people where they can shine. Not only that but when they are represented they are portrayed in a negative light. Also there are a lot of jokes made of older people in the media. There are stereotypes like the stereotypical grumpy old man or the older folk who knows nothing about technology and a lot more. I think the people putting these things out there don’t realize how hurtful

According to the study of Center on Aging and Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston collage, there are many negative stereotypes about older workers. The reading passage discusses these negative stereotypes but the listening passage contradicts these stereotypes by giving explanations.

Ageism is a form of discrimination and prejudice, particularly experienced by seniors. Three examples of ageism that I have committed and witness are;

I really enjoyed the lecture on Ageism; it was very interesting and educational. I was surprised with the 20 True or False question on what is your aging I.Q. We do have different concept about elderly or older people, however after watching the lecture I have learned more true understanding about ageism. Ageism is when you judge people based on age. Unfortunately, I was surprised when this can be called as prejudice and stereotypes. I use to receive elderly jokes through email, which was really hilarious but didn’t think as being prejudice or stereotypes.

Aging is unavoidable in life yet their are so many stereotypes surrounding it. Stereotypes about the aging population play a huge role in how we think and interact with the individuals in the aging population. Stereotypes of aging are mostly myths or misrepresented beliefs about how people of that certain age should act or what their reality is meant to look like without regards for individual differences or circumstances.

Ageism is still alive, old people are the most to stereotype lurking in public. Our elders are seen as harmful people like that don’t belong rather than helpful resources. It says that age is nothing but people getting older and they

The article was discussing the issues of ageism mainly in the work force. It talks about how the baby boomers are have a hard time getting hired because of their age. In a weak economy, some companies are sometimes all too happy to get rid of veteran employees, with their higher health care costs and legacy pensions, for younger ones who expect neither. The article talked about Margery Leveen Sher, a 68, former corporate consultant and nonprofit executive in the district, kept her age a secret when starting her nonprofit business because of her age. She thought that they would think she would want to retire soon, but that wasn’t

“Ageism, or agism, is a prejudice or discrimination against an individual or group in society on the basis of one's conception of age. A prejudice is a preconceived mentality, judgement, or opinion that may have no reason nor basis. Discrimination is the expression of prejudice resulting in differential treatment of different groups or individuals in society. This may include unjust behaviors, actions, language(s) and degrading terms, or limitations restricting another's rights. A person who participates in and supports ageism is called an ageist.” (Tse)

Elderly individuals can experience ageism which is described as “prejudice or discrimination against a particular age-group and especially the elderly” (Ageism, 2017). When it comes to older ages there are many stereotypes. One for example is that they become frail and weak (Grenier, 2005). Evidence shows that if the elderly is often exposed to negative stereotypes about their age group, they will begin to see themselves differently. This change in perception can have negative effects on their health and well-being (Dionigi, 2015). This view of frailty can also impact the way caregiver and family members treat the older individual (Dionigi, 2015). To continue, another negative stereotype based around the elderly is that aging is a bad thing. People between the ages of 50-70 years old can feel great and perhaps start a new beginning such as a marriage or career (Altmann, 2015). It is said that “age is no longer a predictor of performance. “Old” is not a useful word to determine ability, any more than other stereotyped labels” (Altmann, 2015). Even though there are negative stereotypes there are also positive ones, but they appear to be a little far fetched. It is commo for people to assume hat the elderly are wealthy. (Dionigi, 2015). In recent years, there has been significant increases in numbers in the amount of elder people living in poverty and this number is looking to