Patronizing older people, assuming they cannot make decisions for themselves or discriminating against people because of their years are all forms of ageism, according to a new report from the Sheridan Centre for Elder Research and Revera, an owner and operator in the senior living sector.dmbaker/Getty Images/iStockphoto
This is part of a regular series on aging well.
Let's say you're at an outdoor festival and get a sudden urge to dance. You're the only one over 60 who's whirling to the beat, but you don't notice until a young woman sidles up to you. "You're so cute," she says. "It's so cool that you're still dancing at your age."
You smile politely, knowing she means well. But there's a word to describe comments like these: ageist.
Patronizing older people, assuming they cannot make decisions for themselves or discriminating against people because of their years are all forms of ageism, according to a new report from the Sheridan Centre for Elder Research and Revera, an owner and operator in the senior living sector.
After surveying 2,400 Canadians aged 20 and up, researchers published these findings:
- When asked to choose the “most tolerated” form of social prejudice in Canada, 42 per cent cited ageism – more than double that of racism (20 per cent) and sexism (17 per cent).
- One in four Canadians admitted they had treated someone differently because of their age.
- More than 20 per cent of adults aged 20 to 34 said independence is not important for those aged 77 to 89, whereas only 6 per cent of adults in that age group agreed.
It's time to educate people about ageism, especially now that Canadians aged 65 and up are the fastest-growing age group, said Pat Spadafora, founder and director of the Ontario-based Sheridan Centre for Elder Research.
Ageist behaviours include speaking to older adults very slowly or very loudly, regardless of whether they have hearing problems, "or calling them 'dear,' or 'love' and other things that older adults might not want," Spadafora said.
She encourages older adults to "not to let yourself be defined by age."
Older people perpetuate stereotypes themselves when they talk about "being over the hill" or "having a senior moment," she said. No one ever talks about having a "junior moment," she pointed out.
Education about the concept of ageism should start in elementary and secondary schools, the report said.
To combat ageism, people should include older adults in decision making as much as possible and avoid making assumptions about what older people want, or can do. Another step involves recognizing one's own stereotypes and prejudices about aging, the report said.
A good resource for learning about ageism is AgeIsMore.com, Spadafora said. It includes videos created by older adults in partnership with youth and a quiz titled "Are you age aware?"
Changing public perceptions of older people is a slow process, of course. In the meantime, it helps to have a comeback for ageist comments up your sleeve, according to the Old Woman Project in San Diego, which raises awareness of attitudes that ignore, trivialize or demean older women.
When a younger person says something like, "It's cool that you're still dancing at your age," the older person could reply, without sounding crotchety, "What do you mean?"
That puts the burden on the other person to figure it out.