WELLINGTON COUNTY – “Too old for that” is a phrase heard both from and about older adults. A phrase that limits a person’s abilities based on age.
Most people have been guilty of ageism at some point in their lives, with most not even realizing they are doing it.
“Ageism is a stereotype; how we think, how we feel, and how we act towards others or ourselves based on age,” explained Helen Edwards, program coordinator for the Seniors’ Centre for Excellence, based in Mapleton.
Edwards said age bias and discrimination can have a negative impact on an individual’s mental and physical health, as well as prevent them from living their lives to the fullest.
“It can be really hard to have positive thoughts about aging because we are constantly bombarded with the negative images around aging,” she said.
According to Edwards, one of the biggest ageist myths is the old adage “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
“We can find ourselves taking the images that we are bombarded with daily and starting to believe them,” said Edwards.
“We might find ourselves believing things like I can’t learn to use technology, and I am too old for that.”
She provided an example of an old-style ringer washing machine. She explained that if you brought in a group of young people and asked them to do the laundry, they would be lost.
However, many older adults grew up with that style of washer so they would have no problem.
“It’s the same with technology,” said Edwards. “It’s not that we are too old and can’t learn it, it’s that we aren’t familiar with it.”
Ageism can even cause issues when it comes to receiving health care.
“One in five older adults experience ageism in health care,” said Edwards. “This can lead to over-treatment or to under-treatment of certain conditions.”
Edwards explained that as an individual ages, phrases like, “Oh that’s normal for your age” or “pain is part of aging” are more commonly used when discussing an individual’s health.
This can greatly compromise both the physical and mental health of an individual, as they may feel hopeless or like they aren’t being taken seriously.
“Advocating for yourself is important,” said Edwards. “For example, if your healthcare provider says, ‘it’s normal to feel depressed … at your age’, you can advocate for yourself by saying, ‘I know many people my age and they aren’t experiencing this, can you please help me find answers?’”
Edwards said she often thinks about another ageism myth: that older adults don’t contribute to society.
“I wonder if, for some reason, for a day older adults went on strike, I wonder what the impact would be,” said Edwards.
She added most community activities and even some resources are volunteer-based, with a majority of volunteers being older adults.
And finally, Edwards said a huge myth is that older adults are not interested in romance or intimacy.
“That’s not true. As human beings we desire strong intimate relationships,” said Edwards. “We want to have trust with people around us and we continue to enjoy romance and intimacy and yes, even sex, throughout our lifetime.”
Edwards said one way to combat ageism is to educate younger generations.
“All the things that we talk about when they (young people and children) are around, is being sucked in and absorbed like a sponge,” said Edwards.
“We have a great opportunity to positively influence the younger people in our lives and the way we talk about aging.”
