Ageism

Ageism can affect anyone

This resource will focus on ageism in reference to older adults, but it can happen across the lifespan. For example, some ageist discrimination may be directed at the very young new mother in the neonatal ICU or the “gig worker” without health insurance or the Millennial who is perceived to lack commitment to the organization they work for.

We are all aging through the life-course. Some things like disease and socioeconomic factors may speed that process along, but from the day we are born we begin the process of aging.

What is ageism?

According to the World Health Organization, “Ageism refers to the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age.”

Aging is a universal experience and yet ageism is highly tolerated in our society.

Please notice one missing “ism” from Oregon’s statute on bias motivated crime - discrimination based upon age:

“A hate crime, known as bias crime under Oregon law, is a crime motivated by bias against another person’s race, color, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity… Oregon’s bias crime was modified in 2019’s SB 577, and is codified under ORS 166.155 and 166.165” Retrieved from https://www.doj.state.or.us/oregon-department-of-justice/civil-rights/bias-and-hate/whats-the-difference-between-a-hate-or-bias-crime-and-a-bias-incident/ August 9, 2022.

If we are to work toward a more inclusive, integrated society, it is important to counter all harmful discrimination. In order to counter ageism, we must first identify it.

"Ageism can operate both consciously (explicitly) and unconsciously (implicitly), and it can be expressed at three different levels: micro-level (individual), meso-level (social networks) and macro-level (institutional and cultural). Furthermore, ageism has two distinct targets: Ageism can be directed at other individuals or “other-directed ageism”, such as when we think that other older people are slow or wise. Or ageism can be directed towards oneself, “self-directed ageism”. For instance, one may have negative feelings regarding their own aging. Marques, S., et al. (2020). Determinants of Ageism against Older Adults: A systematic review. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/7/2560/htm August 11, 2022.

Why should we care?

Ageism has serious and far-reaching consequences for people’s health and well-being and for human rights.

For older people, ageism is associated with a shorter lifespan, poorer physical and mental health, slower recovery from disability and cognitive decline. Ageism reduces older people’s quality of life, increases their social isolation and loneliness (both of which are associated with serious health problems), restricts their ability to express their sexuality and may increase the risk of violence and abuse.

Ageism is so socially acceptable there is a tendency to structure society based on the assumption that everyone is young, thereby failing to respond appropriately to the real needs of older people. It is so systemic, such as in the design and implementation of services, programs and facilities, that we limit the solutions and policies we implement.

Intersectionality

As described by Margaret Morganroth Gullette in “Against ‘Aging’ How to Talk about Growing Older” (2017), to age is the “universal intersection. Most physical declines associated with growing older are not predictable… As in other domains where we are aged by culture, even many adverse effects on the body-mind are imposed, not innate; deeply intersectional; and start to accumulate early. Think of how embryonic development is determined by access to medical care and nourishing food; how environmental racism shortens some lives; how poverty impedes healthy eating; how work stress can create hypertension and heart disease; how unemployment, sexism, homophobia, ableism or other prejudices, worsened by ageism, can devastate mental health and be life-threatening.”

Ageism magnifies a lifetime of discrimination, and as Morganroth Gullette continues, "Ageism is allied intersectionally with misogyny, racism, ableism, homophobia, classism, and other biases, in the sense that any of these prejudices, and certainly the compound ones (e.g., against women of color), are likely to worsen with the increasing age of the targets."

Words matter

Changing attitudes will take time, but we can start with language. We connect with one another through our words and actions.

Some micro-aggressions directed towards our elders may include “elder speak”, infantilization through tone or volume or descriptors, and back-handed compliments. Or when a doctor talks to the adult child instead of their parent, the actual patient.

The Reframing Aging Initiative has a useful tool kit for communications strategies that help improve messaging and they offer technical support.

Next steps to address ageism

Recognize that we are all growing older, no matter our age.
Identify your own, internalized fears.
Acknowledge the role that you play.
Change your thoughts, language/word choice and actions.

This can be done through education and information campaigns or trainings among health care providers on the risks associated with ageism.

School of Nursing Hartford Center of Gerontological Excellence

Hartford Center of Gerontological Excellence