“Ageism” refers to two ideas: a way of thinking about older people that is shaped by negative attitudes and stereotypes about getting older; and the way that society is built on the idea that everyone is young, which means that it doesn’t meet the real needs of older people.
People of a certain age are often treated differently because of their age because of bias against older people. This bias can be individual or systemic, like in how services, programs, and buildings are planned and put into action. It is against the law to treat people differently because of their age, which is known as age discrimination. The Ontario Human Rights Code says that people of any age can’t be discriminated against when it comes to jobs, homes, goods, services, facilities, contracts, and joining trade and vocational groups.
Too often, age bias is not taken as seriously as other types of bias. But it can hurt people the same way any other kind of abuse does: economically, socially, and psychologically.
Let’s look at different kinds of ageism, some cases of it, how it hurts health, and some ways to stop it.
Ageism can be put into a lot of different groups. Some of the places where ageism happens are: • institutional ageism, which is when an organization supports ageism through its actions and rules
• interpersonal ageism, which happens when people talk to each other
• adopted ageism, which is when someone takes ageist ideas to heart and acts on them. Ageism can also change depending on the situation. As an example, hostile ageism is when someone has publicly hostile ideas about age, like that teens are violent or dangerous.
On the other hand, benign ageism is when someone treats people badly because of their age, like when they think that older adults are like children and need help with simple things.
Ageism can also be broken down by whether or not the person is aware of it. If they are, that’s called clear ageism. This is called latent ageism if they aren’t aware of it. A doctor might be guilty of implicit ageism if he or she treats older and younger patients differently without meaning to.
Some examples of ageism
There are many kinds of ageism. Here are a few cases of ageism at work:
• Not hiring people over or under a certain age; • Asking about someone’s age at a job interview when it has nothing to do with the job; • Making rules that unfairly favor one age group over another; • Thinking older people are out of touch, less productive, or stuck in their ways; • Thinking younger people are unskilled, irresponsible, or not trustworthy; • Bullying or harassing them;
Ageist jokes that imply someone is less valuable or less worthy of respect because of their age; offensive generalizations about a specific generation, such as that millennials are entitled; ignoring someone’s concerns or wishes because of their age; using someone’s age for personal gain, such as to make money; and using someone’s age as an excuse to undermine, deceive, or control them are all examples of ageism in personal relationships.
Why ageism hurts everyone
Ageism has effects that go beyond one person; they have a wide range of effects. Some of these are: • More illnesses: ageism hurts people’s physical and mental health, making them need more care and having a lower quality of life as they age. In addition, it is linked to dangerous habits like smoking, drinking, and eating poorly.
• More money spent on health care: The US spends billions of dollars on health care, according to the WHO.
• Trusted Source • every year to treat health problems caused by ageism.
• Poverty: Not having health insurance or paying too much for it makes poverty worse. This can be especially hard for people who are retired, who have lost a partner or spouse, or who are sick or injured and can’t work. It’s a terrible circle because poverty makes health worse.
Ageism is linked to earlier death, which means that people who are older can expect to live 7.5 years less.
Ageism is becoming a bigger problem as the number of older people in the U.S. grows.
Getting rid of ageism
The WHO says that ageism can be stopped in three ways:
• teaching to bust myths and stereotypes and make people more aware of how ageism hurts people
• social programs that get people of different ages to work together and understand each other
• changes to laws and rules that can cut down on unfair treatment and discrimination
Governments and groups need to support these attempts because they have the most power to make things different.
As individuals, people can help these attempts by standing with those who are against them. Allyship means putting in time and effort to fight ageism by: • Learning about it; think about how it affects your own thoughts, feelings, and life experiences.
• Learning about ageism: Read books, listen to personal stories, and do study to find out how ageism affects other people.
• Getting better at things: Know when to speak up and when to step back. These are political skills that you should learn and practice.
• Doing something: Use what you’ve learned. You could fix ageist assumptions, challenge ageist jokes, or speak out against discrimination based on age. Please keep in mind that this does not mean saving people, but helping them and speaking up for them when they are having trouble being heard.
Summary
Ageism is a way of treating people of certain ages badly that is built into the system. It’s worst for older people, but it can also happen to young people. It comes from bias, like the belief that all older adults are stupid or unwilling to work with others or that young adults are not important.
Ageism is common in health care, which is bad because older people need medical care more often as they get older. This leads to bias, worse care, and sickness and inability that could have been avoided.
For everyone, ageism is a form of unfair treatment based on age. To stop it, we need education, understanding and teamwork between generations, and a change in policy.
Learn more about aging and health here.
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