Conquering Ageism: How to Challenge Stereotypes and Advocate for Older Adults

Ageism harms older adults. From inadequate medical care to negative stereotypes, it can worsen physical and mental health. Exposure to ageism can lead to depression, anxiety, and even dementia. Believing negative stereotypes can make people think poor health is inevitable, leading to unhealthy behaviors. However, positive outlooks are linked to better health and a longer lifespan.

Canada’s population is aging. Between 2016 and 2021, the number of people aged 65 and above increased by 18.3%, representing almost one in five Canadians. This trend is making it more critical than ever to curb ageism. Unlike racism or sexism, ageism is a form of discrimination that is relatively little known and challenged in Canadian society. However, according to Statistics Canada, 63% of older respondents reported having experienced age-based discrimination. In this article, we will define ageism, explore common examples and their impacts, discuss what you can do to combat this form of discrimination, and how Ashton College can help you take action.

What is Ageism?

Ageism is systemic discrimination and prejudice based on a person’s age. Most frequently, older adults are affected. As it is still highly accepted in our society, many people are not aware of their ageist behaviours and, for example, believe they are catering to an older person’s needs while displaying patronizing behaviour instead. Anyone can hold ageist beliefs, including older adults. Some common ageist stereotypes include that all older adults lack technological skills, can’t learn new things, have dementia, and live in long-term care homes. The media may enforce such stereotypes and alienate generations further from each other.

Examples of Ageism

Three prevalent areas in which ageism can be observed are healthcare, the workplace, and social life.

Healthcare:

Some healthcare providers may

• Be impatient, dismissive, and less attentive to the healthcare needs of older adults.
• Use condescending, patronizing, or oversimplified language, such as terms of endearment or a rhythmic tone of voice.
• Make ageist assumptions about symptoms and attribute them to age instead of diagnosing and treating older adults accurately.
• Not recommend all available medical treatment options, which may result from a lack of geriatric training in doctors, as education in this field is often limited.

 Social Life:

• Ageism can appear patronizing when people treat older adults like children who need help with simple tasks and are incapable of making their own decisions.
• Ignoring, bullying, harassing or insulting older adults, making ageist jokes on their cost or making offensive generalizations based on someone’s age.
• Treating older family members as invisible, unintelligent, or expendable. Disregarding their concerns or undermining, deceiving, or controlling them.

Workplace:

• Refusing to hire older candidates.
• Asking irrelevant questions about age at an interview.
• Workplace policies benefiting only younger age groups, such as offering fewer training opportunities to older adults.
• Employers believing common stereotypes, such as that older workers are less productive.

 What are the Effects of Ageism?

Ageism harms older adults. From inadequate medical care to negative stereotypes, it can worsen physical and mental health. Exposure to ageism can lead to depression, anxiety, and even dementia. Believing negative stereotypes can make people think poor health is inevitable, leading to unhealthy behaviors. However, positive outlooks are linked to better health and a longer lifespan.

 Ageism also acts as a barrier to the social inclusion of older adults. It can make them feel rejected and unwelcome, causing them to avoid social participation. This often leads to social isolation and loneliness, which can have detrimental effects on someone’s mental, cardiovascular, and brain health as well as longevity. Ageism can also keep older adults from participating in other areas of life. For example, house and neighbourhood designs often do not meet their needs, and discrimination in the rental market may hinder older adults' access to housing.

Negative stereotypes and age-based discrimination in the workplace may lead older adults to doubt their value as employees and are more likely to leave the workforce earlier. In contrast, working later in life increases financial security, benefits business productivity, and strengthens a country’s economic performance.

What Can You Do?

According to the WHO, a combination of education, intergenerational interventions, and law and policy changes are needed to conquer ageism. Here are some steps you can take:

Recognize It:

The first step in making a positive change is acknowledging the problem. Take some time to reflect on your actions, beliefs, feelings, life experiences, and the behaviour of those around you. For instance, try to notice when people speak to older adults condescendingly or make offensive generalizations. Always treat people with the same respect you would like to receive.

Speak Up:

When encountering ageism and stereotypes, speaking up against them is essential. You can challenge them by correcting misconceptions and educating people. It's more effective to approach the situation in a friendly and honest manner rather than getting into heated discussions or blaming others. Another way to make a difference is by calling out ageism in local media, such as articles, ads, and other forms of coverage. You can also post educational content on social media and use hashtags such as #endageism to raise awareness.

Educate Yourself:

Learning as much as possible is the best way to create change. Listen to personal stories and speeches, and read books, websites, and blog posts to learn how ageism can affect individuals. Some well-known campaigns that aim to educate about ageism are the Global Campaign to Combat Ageism (WHO), Let’s Stop Ageism (Alberta Council on Aging), and Ageism and Media Project (Saskatchewan).

Avoid Negativity and Spread Positivity:

Avoid ageist terms and expressions: such as old person, elderly or over the hill. Instead, use older person/people, older adults or people in later life and share positive images, statements, and real-life stories about older people. Spend time with older people, listen to their stories, and learn from their skills and experiences.

Promote Intergenerational Experiences:

Intergenerational activities can reduce prejudice, build more inclusive communities and significantly impact younger people’s attitudes toward older adults. For example, intergenerational events may be hosted at schools, care homes, community centres, or nurseries through arts classes or skill-sharing programs. Such events can also help give older people a voice and allow them to share experiences and knowledge with others or become mentors. Some intergenerational initiatives include GeriActors and Canada Homeshare.

Focus on Law and Policy Changes:

Reducing inequity and discrimination due to ageism requires commitment from governments and institutions. For example, you can write to your local MP to advocate for older adults. Some initiatives already focus on supporting older workers by changing pension systems and legislation. For instance, the Government of Quebec offers employers a subsidy for hiring older workers. Other age-friendly initiatives include the Age-Friendly Communities Grant Program, Age-Friendly Ottawa, and Allies in Aging.

 How Ashton Can Help

Whether you work with older adults and want to update your professional qualifications or are simply interested in learning, Ashton College’s Gerontology Continuing Education Course offers valuable insights into the biological, psychological, and social factors that influence how we age. This course will break down common misconceptions about aging and equip you to better understand and support older adults, challenge ageism in your community, and advocate for positive societal change. We will also explore the latest research on longevity, health, stress management, and mental well-being in older adults. Finally, we will explore how personality develops and changes across the lifespan and how it interacts with factors such as age and gender. Interested? Check out our program webpage and register.