HJNO May/Jun 2021

50 MAY / JUN 2021 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS COLUMN  SENIOR HEALTH LET’S FACE IT, we’ve all been exposed to jokes, ads and television shows that por- tray older adults in a negative stereotype. When we are young, it may seem innocent, but it has significant impact on the health, well-being and quality of healthcare of ag- ing adults. The number of Americans over the age of 60 continues to grow, but society still is not embracing the aging population. Whether battling “old geezer” stereotypes or trying to obtain equal standing in the workplace, those who are older may all too often find themselves the victims of a disease “called ageism.” Robert N. Butler, MD, coined the term in 1969 and defined ageism as the “systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are old.” Not only are negative stereotypes hurtful to older people, but they may even shorten their lives, finds psychologist Becca Levy, PhD, assistant professor of public health at Yale University. In Levy’s longitudinal study of 660 people 50 years and older, those with more positive self-perceptions of aging lived 7.5 years longer than those with negative self-perceptions of aging. The study appeared in the Journal of Personal- ity and Social Psychology, Vol. 83, No. 2. On the other hand, people’s positive be- liefs about and attitudes toward the older adult appear to boost their mental health. Levy has found that older adults exposed to positive stereotypes have significant- ly better memory and balance, whereas negative self-perceptions contributed to worse memory and feelings of worthless- ness. “Age stereotypes are often internal- ized at a young age—long before they are even relevant to people,” notes Levy, adding that even by the age of four, children are familiar with age stereotypes, which are reinforced over their lifetimes. Ageism also takes on other forms of dis- crimination, including social exclusion of older persons from meaningful roles and relationships. The experience of social exclusion has been identified as a chronic stressor for older people that can compro- mise their health. In an interview with Jody Gates, MD, an 81-year-old resident at Lambeth House, she freely expressed her personal experiences on ageism. “Honestly, your age begins to affect your whole life beginning as young as 50, especially for women. There is a feeling at that time that everything is based solely on age. It is painful to recognize that you are not what you used to be and begin to compare your abilities to those younger “AGEISM” A SOCIAL DISEASE CALLED