Overview
Ageism is defined as the discrimination or expression of prejudice towards another individual or group of individuals on the basis of age. Ageism encompasses prejudicial attitudes towards older people and the aging process, discriminatory practices against older people, and institutional practices and policies that perpetuate stereotypes about older adults (Allen, Cherry & Palmore, 2009). The majority of older adults communicate that they have experienced some form of ageist behaviour, (Allen, Cherry & Palmore, 2009), and for older adults living with addiction or mental health issues, this experience of stigma is compounded. Considering the increasing number of older adults in need of services, ageism is a particularly pertinent issue in the addictions and mental health sector. Ageist attitudes are prevalent among service providers and can shape the development and implementation of services. By highlighting areas in need of improvement, policy and service developers can ensure that mental health and addictions services are inclusive and accessible for older adults.
Prevalence of Ageism Among Professionals
In order to address whether or not ageism is a systemic problem within the mental health and addictions sector, it is important to assess if age-related discrimination is prevalent at the service level and if service providers are contributing to the issue. Allen, Cherry and Palmore (2009) determined that professionals in nursing home settings report higher positive expressions of ageing than do social workers, undergraduate social-work students, and graduate social–work students. The overall rates of negative attitudes towards ageing across these groups were lower than expected, which can likely be accounted for...
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... passes through all categories of clients including race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion. With the growing number of older adults in need of accessible services, it is imperative that service providers demonstrate positive attitudes towards older adults and focus on the needs of their clients rather than their ages.
Works Cited
Allen, P. D., Cherry, K. E., & Palmore, E. (2009). Self-Reported Ageism in Social Work Practitioners and Students. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 52, 124-134. doi:10.1080/01634370802561927
Clarke, J. (2005). Adverse factors and mental health of older people: implications for social police and professional practice. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 12, 290-296.
Woods, B. T. (2003). What's So Different About Older People? Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 12, 129-132. doi:10.1002/cpp.363
Age and Ageism discrimination in the National Health Service is mirrors ageism and age discrimination in society at large. It is a major fact to appraise issues of ageism and age discrimination in the United Kingdom society as a whole. “Whenever a clinical stone is turned over, ageism is revealed.” (Young, 2006, Opinion) I have come to realise that ageism is broader than the unfairness among the elderly age, it refers to deeply rooted negative beliefs about older people and the way they age, which may influence age discrimination. (McGlone and Fitzgerald, 2005, Study)
age and the heterogeneity of older adults as related to competence in later life than at other times.
Evidence shows that there are huge discrimination in terms of providing health care services for older people (age discrimination), which lead the Department of Health to the revision of how mental health care services are provided to vulnerable older people in the context of the European Commission Draft Directive (July 2008), via the UK parliament on the Equality Bill in 2009-2010. The bill opposes age discrimination in terms of offering quality mental health services (Centre for Ageing, 2009).
It is difficult at best to think positively when older people are viewed as “incompetent, boring, inactive, dependent, unproductive, weak, unhealthy, passive, ugly, dull, and sad” (Gething, 1999, p. 2). Essentially, a stereotype as such asphyxiates the wind from your sail early in one’s journey into old age. Then again, if the finish line is one of oppression, marginalization, and disempowerment, it’s a race best lost (Ranzijn, 2002). The most poignant negative affiliated with aging unquestionably centers on the end of life concerns. Although, our hope is for a peaceful demise there exists a chance of tremendous pain and suffering. The latter remains my biggest fear, which in and of itself sheds a negative light on aging. Subsequently, I turned to the article, Positive Psychology and Productive Aging in hopes it would provide
Darby, S. Marr, J. Crump, A Scurfield, M (1999) Older People, Nursing & Mental Health. Oxford: Buterworth-Heinemann.
stereotypes and reinforcing the realities of aging as they care for older adults in all care
The term “ageism” is not easily understood by most of the population because of its acceptance as normal behavior due to the ingrained attitudes that most people develop in their youth, but health care workers must fully embrace the term within their profession in order to avoid becoming a contributor to the historical prevalence of prejudices and discrimination. The term ageism is defined by Klein and Liu (2010) as “the discrimination of individuals based solely on age” (p. 334). “Ageism is a social construct that is internalized in the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of individuals” (Klein & Liu, 2010, p. 334). Robert Butler, a well-known gerontologist, coined the term “ageism” citing that the discrimination and prejudice associated with this term is often based on the lack of a person’s experience with older people (Ferrini & Ferrini, 2013, p. 6). Ferrini and Ferrini (2013) refer to the strong influence that cultural beliefs and attitudes as well as a person’s current age influence the perception of aging (p. 6). Everywhere within society there are influences that encourage ageist attitudes such as media conveyances through movies, books, television, greeting cards, magazines and the Internet (Ferrini and Ferrini, 2013, p. 6). These negative connotations related to growing older begin to influence all people at a very young age and therefore impact their attitudes as they make career decisions. This has directly impacted the number of health care providers who specialize in geriatrics as well as the attitudes of those who do provide services for older adults. These false perceptions and negative attitudes are currently impacting the q...
Attitudes are the foundation of quality of care for older adults. Among health care professionals, discrimination and stereotypical behaviors are very prevalent, even though more often than not these individuals do not realize their actions are ageist. “Ageism hinders people from seeing the potential of aging, anticipation their own aging, and being responsive to the needs of older people” (McGuire, Klein & Shu-Li, 2008, p. 12). Attitudes are directly correlated with how individuals age and whether individuals stay health and live longer (McGuire, Klein & Shu-Li, 2008, p. 12). The care that older adults receive from healthcare professionals is directly influenced by that provider’s attitude about growing older. All too often, health care providers rely on a patient’s chronological age rather than their functional age when determining their needs and what interventions are prescribed. Another issue lies in providers viewing the complaints of older patients as a part of “normal aging”, therefore potentially missing life-threatening problems that may have been easily resolved. “Age is only appropriate in health treatment as a secondary factor in making medical decisions, and it should not be used as a stand-alone factor” (Nolan, 2011, p. 334).
Ageism is defined as having an attitude that discriminates, separates, stigmatizes, or otherwise disadvantages older adults on the basis of chronologic age (Ageism, 2009). This is an act of singling out a certain population and choosing to providing unequal opportunities and treatment just because of a person’s age. In our situation, “Seniors admitted to acute hospitals are more likely to have multiple chronic diseases, as well as impaired cognition and higher levels of dependency (including mobility) than younger adults. Acute hospitals frequently present a “hostile environment” that leads to functional decline in the frail elderly and a “cascade of dependency” that results in approximately one-third of older patients losing independent functioning in one or more activities of daily living. This decline is not related to acute illnesses but to the adverse effects of modern therapy and current hospital practices, which are designed for younger people.” (Huang, Larente, Morais,
Several barriers exist, for example, some practitioners feel as if they have limited experience in this area, many feel older adults are depressed and lonely, and it may be a challenge to work with them. However, over the last 30 years the field has made significant progress and more social workers are taking an interest in working with this population. The writer enjoyed this assignment because she was challenged to reflect on her views regarding older adults. It was easy for her to dismiss their existence and what they have to offer because they function differently from the writer. This situation opened the writer’s eyes because she never took the time to assess this population’s strengths. If the individual in the store were someone she knew, she would have behaved differently. The writer recognizes this man may be someone’s cousin, father, granddad, friend and husband. Therefore, he should be treated with dignity and respect and not minimized because he moves a little slower than others. This reflection is a reminder that she to assess and evaluate her biases regarding older adults because they are just as significant as any other
This article was published in the reputable Journal of Gerontological Social Work. One of the authors, Nancy R. Hooyman, is the author of over 150 peer reviewed articles, and is the Dean at the University of Michigan’s social work program. The second author, Kevin Mahoney, is a professor at Boston College’s School of Social Work, and has published over 50 works. The final author, Mark Sciegaj, is a professor of health policy and administration and Pennsylvania State University, and has published 7 articles. The authors’ areas of expertise are in gerontology and women’s issues, aging and disability, and health policy and long-term care, respectively.
According to DeBrew, author of “Can being ageist harm your older adult patients?” stereotypes and discrimination are evident in various aspects of patient care. “Ageism [is] defined as stereotyping or discrimination aimed at older adults and a lack of knowledge about normal changes of aging and presentation of illness in older adults (. . .)” (DeBrew, 2015). DeBrew (2015) states, “research findings suggest that ageism is common in healthcare” (DeBrew, 2015). Ageism is not only an issue in the healthcare setting, but also among older adults as well as their families. When ageism is present in the healthcare setting it poses
Older adults senses can become less sharp and they may have problems distinguishing things (Greene, 2011). Sensory changes and problems can affect an older adult’s lifestyle. They may have problems with communicating, enjoying activities, and staying involved with people. Cognitive processes are also affected as we age (Greene, 2011). In particular, intelligence, memory, and learning capabilities may become negatively affected as we age (Greene, 2011). Geriatric social workers must be proficient in recognizing the symptoms of major psychotic disorders that may be related with aging and develop treatment plans (Greene, 2011). Some disorders include, depression, confusion, dementia, and
Findings show, policy has to be challenged to overcome the social exclusion for older adults by focusing on 6 targets, including: older adults with physical and mental health issues,