Ageism In America

617 Words2 Pages

Dear peoples of the senate and esteemed members of congress and great citizens of America, Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. Psalm 71:9 Is the lamentation of twenty percent of our population, comprised of the distinguished seniors of our great country. With our everyday comforts we have forgotten to look around, and have failed to recognize our ageism; the prejudice or discrimination on the basis of age. Today we are experiencing a “gerontological explosion,” therefore, by 2050 one in five Americans will be older than 65 years of age. To become a successful nation, we must learn to admire our elders. We must protect our elders by changing our mentality, throwing away the myths surrounding their persons, and instituting better resources for their lives. …show more content…

Which have shaped our mentalities into thinking that youth is the true image of vitality, beauty, and health. With a heavy heart I feel it is our duty to inform our brothers and sisters of our mistaken belief. Vitality? Could it possibly be found in a grandparent who is raising his three grandchildren? Beauty? Is it by chance found in the caring love centenarians have for their spouses? Health? Will it be found in someone who wakes at the light of dawn so that our children can safely cross the street? Why have they been put away and hidden? Why have we concealed the wrinkles of wisdom? Is it maybe due to our own fear of mortality? We must instead educate ourselves on the true image shown by

Show More
Related

  • Successful Aging Elderly (SAE)

    2206 Words  | 5 Pages

    Aging and old age for a long time presented as dominated by negative traits and states such as sickness, depression and isolation. The aging process is not simply senescence most people over the age of 65 are not Senile, bedridden, isolated, or suicidal (Aldwin & Levenson, 1994). This change in perspective led the investigation of the other side of the coin. Ageing is seen as health, maturity and personal Royal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generatively, coping and acceptance of age-related constraints (Birren & Fisher, 1995). Psychological und...

    Read More

  • Starting a Church Based Nursing Home Ministry

    5444 Words  | 11 Pages

    Churches have historically sought to minister to the special needs of widows, orphans and the aged. Today many churches are reexamining their efforts along these lines in light of the changing cultural and social situation. As concern for the plight of the aged has increased, so too have the resources available to the church. Health systems, social agencies and informational services all stand ready to provide support to churches taking on new projects or otherwise strengthening their ministry with the aging.

    Read More

  • The First Aging American's Act

    1805 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1965 the first Aging American’s Act was passed. This legislation was part of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society reform. In passing this legislation nearly 50 years ago, the government created a new department the focused on the rights and needs of the gaining population called the United States Administration on Aging. The original legislation was complete with seven titles. The articles include Title I—the Declaration of Objectives for Older Americans; Title II—Establishment of Administration on aging; Title III—Grants for state and community programs on aging; Title IV—Activities for health and independence, and longevity; Title V—Community service senior opportunities act; Title VI—Grants for Native Americans; and Title VII—allotments for vulnerable elder rights protection activities. Each of these titles are present in the most recent Aging Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2013. Each of the titles in the original and reauthorization have levels of measure to ensure that the legislation is enacted in a manner that will protect the aging population. The titles provide guidance to involved organizations and caregivers ensuring each is properly educated in treating the medical and mental health needs of the aging population as well as recognizing, reporting, and preventing elderly abuse, neglect, and physical, mental, and financial exploitation.

    Read More

  • Context: Wisdom and Antigone

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    Younger people have tended to look towards the elderly for wisdom and guidance since the beginning of recorded history and beyond. Students to teachers, children to parents, ordinary people to royalty and politicians – generally those who have lived longer are not only believed, but expected to have garnered more knowledge in their longer lives. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. Also, in 2008 the Australian newspaper published an article detailing a study undertaken by the University of Aarhus in Denmark, which disproved the theory that the mind is at its peak in the late teens to mid-twenties. But all this is not to say that older people should not sometimes listen to and heed advice from younger people.

    Read More

  • Challenging Age Stereotypes: Grandfather Marvin's Story

    1969 Words  | 4 Pages

    Stigmas and stereotypes plague modern day society. Stigmas regarding race, gender, and religion are publically fought over and receive a great deal of attention; however, stereotypes concerning old age are frequently overlooked; perceived to be just a part of our normal society. Old age is an accomplishment and an individual should be proud and ought to celebrate his or her milestones. Birthday cards often undermine the value of old age, and make-up companies, magazines, and both mainstream and social media generally discount older individuals unless advertising ways to feel, act, or appear younger. One man who defies the stigma of old age and rejoices in it is my Grandfather Marvin. Marvin is a seventy-seven-year-old male who lives in Oskaloosa,

    Read More

  • Double Standard Of Aging

    1362 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ageing is something that everyone will eventually experience if they are fortunate to live a long life. The process of ageing comes with various negative and positive outlooks. In western culture, ageing for both genders is particularly condemned. In the media in particular, the process of ageing for men and women vary greatly. Where, women are condemned for ageing more than men are. Media greatly highlights on the stereotypical notion of ageing especially in the aspect of portraying men and women and their social roles through advertisement. I will be discussing

    Read More

  • Aging in America

    1320 Words  | 3 Pages

    are forced to live off of. What happens if there is not enough to go

    Read More

  • Sociological Perspectives Of Aging Essay

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prominent musician, Celine Dion, once said, “There’s no such thing is aging, but maturing and knowledge. It’s beautiful, I call that beauty.” To many, growing old is just a natural, beautiful part of life. It is inevitable. It is inescapable. The functionalist perspective of sociology states that the elderly perform a function in order to keep society running with ease. Functionalists focus on the disengagement theory and how people tend to disengage from society as they approach death. Symbolic interactionists focus on how environmental factors and relationships with others affect the aging experience, focusing on the activity theory and the continuity theory (Carl, 2011, p. 220). Conflict theorists focus on the discrepancies that arise between different age groups. They also focus on the economical side of aging and the issues that may arise due to an active elderly population (Carl, 2011, p. 221).

    Read More

  • Ageism In American Culture

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    are old.” Individuals should have some understanding of the of what the term ageism but maybe

    Read More

  • Essay On Ageism

    1504 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Benefits Of Ageing

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    In today’s society, what was once said to be true and taken as fact regarding older people is no longer the whole story. As Laslett states, “At all times before the middle of the twentieth century and all over the globe the greater part of human life potential has been wasted, by people dying before their allotted time was up.” (1989a), and to a great extent a lot

    Read More

  • Perceptions of Aging in Today's Society: An Interview Study

    1976 Words  | 4 Pages

    Aging is a sensitive topic for many, with ageism being incredibly prevalent, as it has such a negative connotation that is attached to it (Hooyman, Kawamoto, & Kiyak, 2015). What does it mean to age in society today, when the baby-boomer population is starting to reach their old-old age status? (Hooyman et al., 2015). In order to break down stereotypes and understand what exactly it means to age within our current day society, I interviewed a married couple of 29 years, whom wished to remain anonymous, regarding their views on aging. The gentleman is sixty-three years old, and his wife is in her fifties. She was not the main focus on my interview, the gentleman was, but his wife was able to chime in and provided me with her two-sense every once in a while.

    Read More

  • Late Adulthood and Depression

    1568 Words  | 4 Pages

    Late adulthood should be a time in a person's life where they feel fulfilled. They can look back on their memories and be happy with the way they have lived their life. Now, too many elderly people are not satisfied and look at this stage as depressing. Most fear death of either a loved one or for themselves. This topic is interesting to me because elderly people should make the best of their last stage of life. This topic discusses about getting older, the life changes that they go through physically, emotionally, and mentally. We should know more about it so that we can help our family and friends get through one of the best, yet toughest part of our mortal life.

    Read More

  • Eldercare Argumentative Essay

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    Increased life expectancies have many reconsidering whether the fountain of youth is merely a legend. For many families, longer life spans have allowed them to spend more time with loved ones, time that may not paint the picture imagined.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Young Adulthood

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    During young adulthood, range from 18- 40 years old, life is quite busy since people are always on the run. It is easy to say that many people do not think what they eat before they eat. Perhaps, it is because of the busy life during young adulthood that has a huge impact in our diet which can be detrimental to our health. In addition, many people have to go to work and school and they end up having little or no time to eat. In this case, they run to the closest fast food place and order something that is not very healthy. According to Fryer and Ervin (2013), “During 2007–2010, adults consumed, on average, 11.3% of their total daily calories from fast food.” Young adulthood is the phase in life that many people consume low nutrient food which

    Read More

More about Ageism In America

Open Document