Attitude Toward Elderly

I have always admired the senior citizens who are wondering how they have passed such long journeys of their lives. They not only have accomplished achievements, but also have done memorable works that deserve admiration, respect, and priority in today’s society. These old people may look incompetent and unexciting in somebody’s eyes and thoughts, but not everyone realizes that they are the people with greatest knowledge and experiences beyond their masters of life. From my own experience, whenever I see an old mister or mistress looking for help or in need of help, I can never ignore him or

“Ageism has been called the ultimate prejudice, the last discrimination, the cruelest rejection,” Stein (unpublished).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

The cross-cultural differences in attitudes towards the aged may in part be due to different societal perspectives. In most western cultures the elderly today are hardly regarded with religious awe or reverence. They have become virtual outcasts of society, many living on the fringe, often in retirement communities or in nursing homes. William Withers states that “modern cultures have coped with the death of the aged, minimizing its disruptiveness, by disengaging the elderly from the vital functions of society” (518).

Our society nowadays discriminates the elderly and they are being ill treated. However Primitive agrarian cultures very existence depended upon the knowledge earned from experience, valued their elders, but even they were o moved to killing the non productive members of society because of harsh conditions of subsistence living. (Carroll Estes, 2009)

"Are the old real human beings? Judging by the way our society treats them, the question is open to doubt. Since it denies them what they conceive the necessary minimum, and since it deliberately condemns them to the utmost poverty, to the slums, to ill health, loneliness and despair, it affirms that they hold neither the same needs nor the same rights as other members of the community. In order to soothe its conscience, our society's ideologists have invented a certain number of myths - myths that contradict one another, by the way - which induce those in the prime of life to see the aged not as fellow beings but as another kind of being altogether" (Perrin, & Polowy 2008).

Ageism is a form of discrimination and prejudice, particularly experienced by seniors. Most seniors are mentally and physically active regardless of age with a great deal to contribute. http://www.alfa.org/alfa/Ageism.asp

All over the news and in different programs that are implemented are set in place are geared toward children in poverty. Poverty in children is a huge problem happening all over the country but what about the elderly. We get so focus on helping the children that the elderly can sometimes be looked over and forgotten about. In Texas, 17% of all elderly are living in poverty. Poverty in the elderly is an issue that continues to rise at a fast pace and this may be because of food insecurity that they may face (Communities Foundation of Texas, 2016). Most people feel like getting old is so far in the future for them, or just the idea of aging is too hard to think about but getting old for all of us is imminent. The elderly once took care of us, so it is

Markee states that young people may not be concerned about ageism until it affects them. The reality is that it affects them now, and has since they were born. And the further they push addressing it, the more deeply it will affect them. Supporting an elder can help the individual figure out how they will fact the issue later on. The author then lists some measure allies of elders can take to help the older community. Some statements fall in different categories about their mindset, physical, mental, and psychological health. Older people should be assumed to have the potential to be brilliant, that they have long, productive futures, and that they have given up in life. Also, older people are sexually appealing and that they do have sexual needs. Older people should also be offered to give their opinion without being interrupted. Allies should not think that memory loss or physical deterioration is the result of being old, but could be accumulated distress or illness. The author ends the essay by mentioning that allies should choose an elder that is not being supported and support them. This could be beneficial to the ally. Just as it is the duty of the dominant group to support the disenfranchised group, as in the case for white leaders to support people of color leaders, as members of the upper case should support members of the working class, younger leaders should support older

After giving thought to the subject of ageism as it is directed against the elderly in American society, I find that although I generally have a great deal of respect for those older than me, I like most am guilty of some degree of stereotyping.

When presented with the word “elderly,” a twenty-year-old might begin to think of the joys of retirement when an older person has spent their life building a comfortable bank account; they then get to reward themselves by journeying around the world with their near and most dear companion. When reality sets in, that person may realize that a lot of today’s elderly are living in nursing homes or living week-by-week not knowing if they are going to be able to leave their hospital bed just to go relax in their recliner at home. While it is true that some elderly enjoy their last twenty or thirty years on earth, a lot of the elderly in America are struggling to hang on to life while being abused every day by healthcare workers or even loved ones. While many people have been working endlessly to put a stop to elder abuse, not everyone can say the same.

“We all have respect for our elders because of their hard work. We wouldn’t be in the U.S. or have what we do now if it wasn’t for them”, Ivan stated during the interview. I interviewed Ivan Miranda; a native of Acapulco, Mexico, about elderly roles in his family. Ivans grandparents are the first and the oldest generation of his family in America, therefore, a majority of the answers are of direction of his family’s values towards his grandparents and the ethics that are taught by them. In addition, I came to understand more about his family’s thoughts on the importance of elderlies, along with the loss of their heritage’s way of life towards the elders.

Instead of relying on income from previous occupation, the elderly population, income will fixate, resulting in dependency on their 401k saving plan and other government related programs to assist with activities of daily living. This is why I choose to work with this population, to ensure that dignity, worth, and respect of a person is maintained. However, the aging population should not feel that they are being treated as a burden by the government or their families. In the United States, we undermine our aging population by treating them as though they are not of any value. In reference to this mistreatment towards the aging population can cause issues such as unemployment, health, and elder abuse.

Ageism is the discrimination against an individual or group due to age. While ageism is a real problem, many people tend to ignore it because it is so often practiced, people don’t even realize it is happening. The forms of ageism range from the very obvious to the more discrete, almost unrecognizable discrimination. While ageism is evident in all age groups, it tends to be more dominant among the elderly and teenagers or young adults.

Ageism as defined by Merriam-Webster (2016), “prejudice or discrimination against a particular age-group and especially the elderly”. A study conducted by Nelson (2016), studied the effect of ageism and negative stereotypes which older adults

This is a society of isms, racism, sexism, and ageism. It labels, stereotypes, and categorizes people, by shape, size, color, and age. The elderly in their later years should be able to have a peaceable life, treated with dignity and respect. However, pretty much anyone under the age of 50 is a target for an attack of an attitude of ageism at some point. Those who do the disrespecting don’t stop to consider that at some point, they will also be at the receiving end of that attitude.” (Webb)