We are all aging

Ageism negatively affects many Americans daily. Ageism is the discrimination of a person solely because of their age. Negative stereotypes and harmful prejudice about age fuel this discrimination. That discrimination affects how people see themselves and their place in society. Those views dramatically impact mental, social, and physical well-being.

Ageism comes in many forms and shows up in many places. People experience ageism throughout their everyday experiences. Ageism is found in media, medical care, policies, and societal norms. Many people are at risk of experiencing the negative impact that ageism has on their daily lives. 

Employment is an area of daily life where ageism frequently manifests. People are discriminated against when they are overlooked for jobs or promotions because of their age. This discrimination and prejudice can affect finances, job security and a person’s feeling of purpose and belonging. This type of discrimination is less obvious because employers don’t usually say they won’t hire or promote a person due to their age. 

The work environment isn’t the only place where ageism is present. Ageist stereotypes are also present in medical care and medical care policies. This type of discrimination can result in very dangerous outcomes. We have most recently seen the dangers of medical ageism during COVID-19. Policies prescribed that critical life-saving ventilators were to be prioritized by age. This left many older people without life-saving medical care because they were older. 

Ageism is an important topic that should be critically acknowledged and addressed to prevent dangerous policies from being enforced. While medical ageism is obviously dangerous, not all dangers of ageism are as easy to spot. 

The dangers of ageism in media are less obvious. Negative age stereotypes are represented in movies, television, and commercials. When these negative ideas and characterizations bombard an individual, it affects how they see themselves, their abilities, and their place in society. These ageist stereotypes are hard to ignore and affect a person’s mental and physical health. The negative stereotypes represented in media affect not only the age group being negatively represented but also how other people perceive that age group and their abilities. The media perpetuates ageism and the negative effects it has on certain age groups. 

Ageism affects us all because everyone is aging. Eliminating ageist ideas is essential to everyone’s well-being. To help eliminate ageism, you should be vigilant in identifying harmful ageist stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination within yourself and society. Once you begin to take notice of ageism, you can reframe how you speak about people, their age, and their place in society. If we only look at a person’s age to determine who they are and their capabilities, we ignore all the other aspects that make that person who they are and what they bring to the table. We have to reprogram our thinking and judgment to push out ageist stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. 

One way to reprogram our thinking is to reframe how we talk about a person’s age. You can start reframing how you talk about age by removing ageist terms from your vocabulary. Some words you can eliminate are “elderly and senior” because of their negative associations. Then replace those words with terms like “older person” or be more inclusive by saying “we or us.” 

The most important thing you can do to combat ageism and its dangerous and harmful effects is to be aware of it and educate yourself on ways to reframe the way you talk and think about age.