Transforming the Narrative About Aging

In January and February, elementary schools nationwide celebrate the 100^th day of school. The premise for this tradition is to mark 100 days of learning for students. The celebration often includes a dress-up component in which students can come to school dressed as their future 100-year-old selves. It’s supposed to be light-hearted fun, but too often, these costumes reflect a single representation of an older person – one who is hunched, gray-haired, and wrinkled, and uses a cane or walker to get around. That this caricature represents an accepted picture of what it means to be old is troubling and reflects deeply ingrained, widespread prejudices about older adults. Our collective reliance on this archetype of older age is damaging. Attitudes about age begin to form during childhood, which means it’s crucial to address the stereotypes early on.

Ageism, which reflects negative attitudes about people based on age, remains largely unchallenged in our society. In popular culture, pushback about ageist jokes is often dismissed in the name of harmless fun. For example, the hashtag, #OKBoomer, became a cultural sensation as a humorous quip to sling at clueless older people. Criticism of the phrase, given its pervasive use to demean older adults, is largely dismissed as oversensitivity. Accordingly, ageism has been described as the last acceptable form of prejudice.

Though ageism can also be directed toward the young, the preponderance of casual, everyday ageism directed toward older adults is difficult to ignore. According to the National Poll on Healthy Aging, 82 percent of older adults experienced at least one form of ageism in their daily lives, including ageist messaging, ageism in social interactions, and self-directed ageism. These lived experiences suggest that negative attitudes about older adults are firmly fixed in our society.

Beginning in childhood, we are exposed to messages within pop culture that reinforce the tired stereotype of older people as dependent, out of touch, and incompetent. From ads such as “Dear Young People, Don’t Vote,” to the fairy tale trope of the decrepit old witch, children and adults alike are exposed to a steady stream of content that either misrepresents older adults or leaves them out entirely. It’s not surprising that these messages can influence attitudes about older people and reinforce a reluctance to become old ourselves.

Ageism comes with a host of negative consequences for older adults in the areas of physical and financial health, quality of life, and social connectedness. In healthcare, ageism is widespread, partly due to a lack of training provided to health professionals on the needs of older patients. Ageism within healthcare exacerbates health conditions and increases costs for older patients who are less likely to receive preventive care and necessary screenings.

Older adults who are exposed to age discrimination and stereotyping can also experience an erosion of mental health and social connection brought about by lowered self-esteem and increased anxiety and depression. On the flip side, people who have positive self-perceptions about aging tend to live an average of 7.5 years longer than those who don’t.

In the workplace, older adults can face hiring bias and forced retirement policies. These practices limit the ability of older adults to access and retain employment, which, in turn, can contribute to financial insecurity. Some small business employers in New York, have acknowledged the benefits of an older workforce, calling older workers an asset, not a liability, given their solid work ethic, years of skills and experience, and willingness to adapt and learn.

Furthermore, misperceptions and stereotypes about older people can diminish understanding between generations, distort knowledge about aging, and cultivate a fear of growing older ourselves. These issues are exacerbated by a lack of regular contact between the generations due to age segregation. For example, housing and social spaces in particular are frequently designed to meet the perceived needs of the old or the young, but rarely both. When older and younger people engage in shared spaces, including housing, both generations benefit through an increased sense of community, decreased loneliness, and enhanced self-esteem.

Given our early exposure to ageist messages, children can learn positive associations with aging. For example, teachers can personalize aging by asking students about their imagined older adulthood. Students might be asked how they can maximize their chances of living a long life or what their friendships and hobbies will look like at different ages. Schools can build intergenerational connections by inviting older speakers to present curricular topics about which they are experts (for example, a retired geologist speaking about rocks and minerals). Students can discuss the accomplishments of older adults through literacy projects using books highlighting older role models. Children and older adults can even work collaboratively for the greater good by joining together on community service projects.

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Measures taken during childhood are critical to disrupting the persistence of deep-rooted attitudes about older adulthood. As Dr. Robert Butler stated, “If we teach children that growing old is a natural part of life, and raise them to appreciate and value the contributions of older people to their world, ageist stereotypes and fears of growing old will become obsolete.”