Ageism Essay Examples

For a long time, there has been many forms of prejudice and discrimination in the United States of America. With the increasing proportion of the aging population, comes another form of discrimination—Ageism. Ageism is mainly experienced by seniors and older adults in various ways. Most of which, make fun of their mental or physical state. Not only does this disrespect them as individuals, but this also negatively affect their quality of life. It aims to label elderly citizens as people who are less valuable and less visible. As Cartensen stated, “The challenge today is to build a world that is just as responsive to the needs of very old people as to the very young” (The Aging Networks, 2011). Though it is prominent, there are many institutions and programs out there that try to combat ageism.
Defining Ageism In order to understand how ageism is created, stereotyping must be considered. Stereotyping is a” well-learned set of associations that link a set of characteristics with a group” (Medicine.Jrank.org). It may vary from culture to culture, but most of which are acquired through
It is when institutions create policies that discriminate against older people” (Psychology of Aging 101). A prominent example of this can be seen in Japan where public institutions failed to keep track of where centenarians lived. As a result, many elderly citizens were not provided the necessary medical and psychological services. In the United States, however, institutional ageism often happens in nursing care homes. Elderly residents are often abused or neglected by staff, which is more likely if the patient is a frequent complainer or has dementia (Psychology of Aging). There are various types of elderly abuse: Physical, sexual, emotional, neglect, and financial. Statistics show in adults over the age of 60, that “1 out of every 10 people experience abuse, including neglect and exploitation”