AGEISM IN HEALTHCARE

Ageism in Healthcare

Ageism in Healthcare

Introduction

Ageism has been described as "thinking or believing in a negative manner about the process of becoming old or about old people" (Doty, 1987, p. 213). Society's attitudes and beliefs about aging are culturally embedded and can have a profound effect on how people view themselves and others who are aging. Unfortunately, negative stereotypes about aging are still quite prevalent (Rowe & Kahn, 1987). Health care providers are not immune to these insidious stereotypes. This paper reviews a number of ageism stereotypes in society generally and in the health care field. The aim is to demonstrate that ageism can negatively affect health care providers' professional training and service delivery and, ultimately, their clients' behavior and health outcomes.

Effect of Ageism on Factors in Aging

Ageism can often affect the choices people are presented with and the decisions they make about those choices. If people believe that some of the "inevitable deterioration" of aging is preventable, they are likely to be more active in their own self-care. If health care providers believe that elderly people are valuable, equal members of society, then this belief should be reflected in professional training and service provision. Consequently, confronting ageism by enhancing positive beliefs about aging is a vital component of health promotion training and programming.

Sociological Factors

Traditionally, aging has been viewed as a continual process of decline. Unfortunately, this stereotyping results in systematic discrimination that devalues senior citizens and frequently denies them equality (Butler, 1987, pp. 22-23).

In his review of the attitudes toward aging shown by humor, Palmore (1986) found that elderly people were often portrayed negatively. The humor tended to focus on physical and mental losses, as well as on decreases in sexual attractiveness and drive. Jokes about older women tended to be more negative than those about older men.

These societal attitudes can affect not only how elderly people are perceived but also how they view themselves. Bodily (1991) surveyed inactive nurses to find out why they were not working. She was surprised to find that many respondents cited their age as the reason for not working without giving any other qualifiers.

As Bodily stated, What concerned me the most about the ways respondents were using "age" was that its meaning was being taken for granted; that is, as if the implications of phrases like "because of my age" or "I'm too old" were sufficiently obvious to require nothing more than a sympathetic nod on the part of the reader. While I was sympathetic, it was not because respondents were in fact too old, but because they were using "age" to disqualify themselves or otherwise limit their range of choices. (Bodily, 1991, pp. 248)

The quotation demonstrates the reciprocal nature of ageism. Negative stereotyping in society can lead to viewing elderly people in a depreciatory manner and as less valuable members of society. Elderly people who adopt these aging myths may see decline as inevitable and becoming more passive members of society as the only option ...