Council on Aging - Answers 2023 - 15

COUNCIL ON AGING - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
For now, Americans don't particularly like " old. "
Though our culture idealizes respect for
age and wisdom and experience (the federal
government says May is " Older Americans
Month " ), real life suggests ageism is rampant and
rank. And while it's a two-way street (younger
people are sometimes dissed, often by their elders,
as " entitled " or " self-obsessed " or " soft, " among
other things) ageism against older people is more
common and often comes with little pushback.
" Frail, " " forgetful, " " diminished, " " greedy, "
" needy, " " racist, " " too-stupid-to-understand tech, "
" smelly; " all are literal descriptions or inferences
applied to older people
in everything from TV
commercials to movies
to birthday cards.
And it's not just words.
Though age-related bias
in the workplace has
been illegal since the
Age Discrimination
in Employment Act of
1967 (and mandatory
retirement has been
outlawed since 1986),
the practice remains
so entrenched that the
Equal Opportunity
Commission described it as " a significant and
costly problem for workers, their families and our
economy. " A study by Yale professor and ageism
author Becca Levy ( " Breaking the Age Code:
How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How
Well & How Long You Live " ), found that in 2018
age-related stigmas and bias resulted in about $63
billion of wasted health spending.
Or, just consider this: Which word would you
rather have applied to you, " youthful " or " elderly? "
It's unclear how, or if, the aging boom will
change that answer.
Old views
Levy has written about what she describes as a
coming " age-stereotype paradox. " Essentially, it
Council On Aging - Southern California | 714-479-0107 | www.coasc.org
means that while logic suggests the rising numbers
of old people in America should tone down
ageism, serious research on the subject shows that
ageism is actually becoming more common.
" Two contradictory elements comprise this
paradox: The increase in age-stereotype negativity
versus an increase in age-stereotype positivity
that a number of factors suggest should be
occurring, " she wrote.
Or, as Ed Romero, 96, puts it: " I'm not sure
what ageism is exactly, but I'm guessing it could
go either way, right? It could get better; it could
get worse. "
Romero, a retired
educator and union
leader from Newport
Beach, said he's only
recently felt the pangs
of advanced age. He
sometimes forgets a
word. He walks a bit
slower than he used
to. His hearing isn't
spectacular. Still,
despite that, in most
other ways Romero
remains the same guy
he's always been smart,
interested in people,
curious, happy.
He's also an example. Today, Romero, by
remaining capable and energetic into his mid90s,
defies stereotypes about people his age. Soon,
by their sheer numbers, millions of active older
people might redefine those stereotypes, maybe
even obliterate them.
In theory, a fast-growing world of active,
healthy, independent older people could blunt
ageism, or at least make the bias less likely to
gain traction.
This article continues online. If you are a
Register subscriber read the rest of the story at
www.ocregister.com.
Reprinted Courtesy SCNG/Orange County
Register.
Answers Guide 23/24
15
HEALTHCARE & WELL-BEING
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Council on Aging - Answers 2023

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