The Negative Perceptions of Aging in our Society

One study suggests that gerontophobia exists in this country, a fear and loathing of older people. Because of this our perceptions of maturement and the decrepit ar ones that are learned and reinforce stereotypes and other forms of diversity against elder individuals in the U.S.:

The ageism hook is reasonably wise and intuitively appealing. Anyone who has taught the social construction of aging understands the power of ageist assumptions-assumptions that tells us that all old people are useless, wrinkled, forgetful, unproductive members of participation (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary). These assumptions profoundly affect the day-t-day reality of world an older person in this country. But ageism similarly allows us to better understand systems of inequality in our society. Age-like race, class, gender, and the like-is a socially constructed dimensions along which privileges and disadvantages are institutionalized. Furthermore, age articulates with for each one of these dimensions to sink people's access to goods and wait ons.

One interesting aspect of the aging military operation is that negative perceptions and stereotypes also affect the senior(a) and may sluice decrease their ability to perform everyday tasks. One exemplification of this is with memory. When people are continually told their memory will lineage as they age, it

Other members of the wellness community also are ill-equipped to interact with the elderly but it is because of perceptions and accent not unpreparedness. One expert on the elderly con plys that physicians often lack a narrow way when it comes to the elderly. Instead of seeing them as vital or productive, they tend to view them as repositories of ill-health, psychologically and physically. During a health, productivity, and aging convention in Salzburg, Austria, this aging experts argues that doctors who held discussion groups just now had one focus regarding the elderly, "Day after day, when participants broke into discussion groups after each lecture, they only wanted to talk about Alzheimer's, senility, and nursing homes.

They vehemently objected to discussing age in terms of any kind of productivity?Clearly, they did not want to think about people over sixty-five except as helpless patients, clients of their compassionate financial aid" (Johnson 120). Many experts contend that the negative perceptions of the elderly often set out depression in the elderly. This is significant because depression plays a major(ip) role in suicide and the elderly have a high rate of suicide. Depression also causes other problems for the elderly and society, "Both patients with depressive disorders and community-dwelling subjects with significant symptoms of depression have been shown to have increase functional disability and increased consumption of health administer resources" (Callahan M196).

Greene, D. "Student perceptions of aging and disability as influenced by service learning." Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics. Vol.15. No. 3. 1998, 39-55.

There are programs designed to help bridge the communication gap amidst the young and the elderly. Because stereotypes are often based on preconceptions that are not grounded in fact, one study has revealed that student perceptions of aging and disability can be influenced by service learning. This is only natural since perc
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