Aging in Place is the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.

Several weeks ago I had a health-related appointment with a well-known specialist at a prominent Boston hospital. When he entered the exam room he looked at me and said, "I must be in the wrong place, you don’t look like an 83 year old man." He thought it was funny, I didn’t!

How often have you heard these comments or used them yourself? "You look so good for your age"…"I was just having a senior moment"…"70 is the new 50"…"Too many old people go there"…."You don’t look a day over 60" I am guilty of using these remarks and have thought of them as harmless jokes. However well intended, these are examples of ageism and are a put down of older adults.

I have seen birthday cards in local stores that mock seniors, most often older women. I did a Google search for "birthday wishes for an older woman" and was not surprised by how demeaning many of these greeting cards are: "with age comes new skills; you can laugh, sneeze and pee all at the same time"… "you are getting kind of old, it’s okay, I still like you anyway"…"you know why older people drive so fast? Because they have to get there before they forget where they’re going." These are just a few examples among thousands and the messaging is degrading.

Everyday Ageism

Ageism is discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping based on a person’s age. It is widespread and pervasive in our society. According to the World Health Organization and several recent studies, ageism can shorten older peoples’ lives; lead to poor physical health; delay recovery from injury or illness; affect mental health; increase social isolation and loneliness; and reduce overall quality of life. In fact, one highly regarded study suggests that ageism can reduce life span by more than seven years.

In 2020, The Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation at the University of Michigan published the results of a national survey that examined older adults’ experience with different forms of everyday ageism, including exposure to ageist messages, ageism in interpersonal interactions, and internalized ageism (personally held beliefs about aging and older people). 

The results of the poll are troubling—82% of adults age 50-80 years experienced one or more forms of ageism in their day-to-day lives, including:

• Exposure to jokes about aging

• Suggestions that older adults are unattractive or undesirable

• Older people have difficulty with technology, hearing and vision, memory and understanding things

• Assumption that older adults don’t do anything of value

• Feeling lonely or depressed is a normal part of aging

The survey also documented older adults’ positive views on aging. Although everyday ageism is prevalent "Many older adults also hold positive perspectives about aging. Older adults who held more positive views on aging reported less everyday ageism and better physical and mental health."

Ageism and Health Care

Unfortunately, studies have documented a growing concern about ageism in health care, including widespread negative attitudes toward caring for older people among physicians, medical students, and nurses. Back in the 1960s, I was one of those medical students who disliked working with older adults. The "dreaded" patient was someone being transferred from a nursing home to my hospital while I was on call—now I’m that "dreaded" patient! This type of bias can lead to missed or delayed diagnosis or dismissing treatable concerns, such as falls, joint pain, hearing or vision loss that would be thoroughly checked out in a younger patient.

Another type of health-related ageism is "elderspeak", a patronizing form of communication. A nurse, doctor or support staff may address an older patient as "honey," "dear" or "sweetheart" while using a sing-song voice, as if speaking to an infant, along with an overly simplified explanation of diagnosis and treatment options. I experienced this when my mother was in a rehab facility and her assigned case manager, a social worker, kept referring to her as "mother" and not by her name. I confronted him about this and asked that he showed his respect by referring to her as Mrs. Bihari. The inability of the staff to treat her with dignity led to us transferring her to a different facility.

The Bottom Line

Similar to other types of prejudice, changing the public’s view of older adults is not an easy fix. We all need to celebrate growing old and not demean it! Education with efforts to increase intergenerational contact is one effective way to reframe attitudes about aging.

Currently, about 45% of Falmouth residents are age 60 or older and this is expected to increase by the end of the decade. Although far from being perfect, Falmouth is a wonderful place to live and the sheer volume of productive older adults is a vital part of the town’s culture, ambiance and economy.

Resources

The following provide access to additional information about ageism:

• National Institute on Aging: 10 Common Misconceptions About Aging 

• HelpGuide.org: Ageism and Age Discrimination 

• Virginia Commonwealth University: Ageism Self-Assessment Tool