Interrupting Ageism
by Lynne Feldman, Director of Community Services, LifePath
A World Health report on Ageism 2 1/2 years ago found that ageism is a pervasive problem world wide, and permeates systems like the media, healthcare and the legal system. Ageism is associated with a shorter lifespan, poorer physical and mental health and a slower recovery from disability and cognitive decline. I asked Meg Ryan, RN, FRCOG Public Health Nurse, to help us understand how ageism works.
Lynne: What is ageism?
Meg: Ageism is discrimination against older people due to negative and inaccurate stereotypes.
Lynne: How does ageism happen?
Meg: It starts with stereotypes, which are how we think about something – our internal thoughts and ideas. We all also have bias – our gut feelings – present without our intention, created after a lifetime of learning and interacting with the world. Finally, it manifests itself through discrimination – actions we take, sometimes without thought, that demonstrate how we think and feel (often unconsciously).
Lynne: What are the attitudes we need to watch out for?
Meg: Privileging or idealizing of youth – the attitude that youth is better than old age is extremely prevalent in our society. We know from research that adults who are 50 to 80 years old overwhelmingly experience ageism, including against ourselves – 82% experience one or more forms in their day-to day lives, and 36% of us experience internalized ageism.
Lynne: How do we stop the cycle of ageism?
Meg: Reframing aging and find the positive is important to fight this bias.
To learn more about ageism and how to join the fight against it, join Meg at an upcoming workshop, "Ageism and Reframing Aging." Details and registration information below!
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