The word ‘ageism’ describes a stereotype that uses age to divide people due to their age-related vulnerabilities. For example, Joseph F. Coughlin, the bestselling author of The Longevity Economy and the director of AgeLab at MIT, states that:

“Ageism is promoted by the belief that a human being upon birth was given a limited amount of lifeforce with which he lives. When that lifeforce gets depleted, they will die.”

Ageism is categorized into four different types:

• Personal ageism is based on individual attitudes and beliefs.
• Institutional ageism is when an institution or group has a mission, rules, or age discrimination practices.
• Intentional ageism is an unethical bias used by scam artists, who deliberately take advantage of the elderly to line their own pockets.
• And finally, unintentional ageism is when people use implicitly biased humor or gestures without awareness.

It is a human rights violation that has transformed into a social pandemic. However, its most adamant form is seen in workplaces.

Ageism On the Job

There has been a long-standing debate on what should be considered “old” among employees. According to an AARP survey, about 57% of older adults report discrimination due to their age. Several signs point to workplace ageism. For example, recruiters tend to have a pattern of hiring younger employees during interviews. They use the term ‘overqualified’ by assuming that an older adult would be dissatisfied with the job. Whereas before retirement, institutions subtly ask senior employees, “when are they planning to retire?”. As a result, their raises and promotions stop, and appraisal reviews tank. Thus, encouraging them to retire early. 

According to a survey conducted in Silicon Valley, California, the average age of employees in the IT sector is in the early 30s. Therefore, younger employees are given more opportunities, assuming that the older adults would not learn new techniques and build skills. However, in other sectors also, older employees often hear age-related comments and are spoken to in a demeaning tone by other employees of the same standing. Moreover, they are left out of decision-making processes. As a result, they are overlooked and suggested that they should ‘lighten the workload,’ making them feel less valuable and useful.

Dire Consequences of Workplace Ageism

Discrimination in the workplace can lead to catastrophic effects on societal progress. It causes massive losses in capital and the well-being of people. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, if only 5% more people aged 55 or older were employed, it would save nearly $50 Billion on national economies.

Some of the consequences of rampant ageism are:

• Older employees have the mindset of getting things done correctly and efficiently. All this valuable professional experience is wasted.
• Experienced persons can act as mentors for new employees wanting to learn skills. Such a setup eliminates the need to micromanage the newly hired.
• Firing senior employees causes the reputation to sink and lose out on market expertise.
• The hostile working environment causes distrust among employees.
• Due to a lack of expert guidance, institutions are ill-prepared for future needs.

Rising Concerns in Healthcare

Sometimes physicians, nurses, and social workers also become a catalyst to ageism. Geriatrics as a specialty is often stigmatized, which has led to a decrease in the number of good specialists. For example, physicians are reluctant to do intrusive diagnoses for breast cancer in older women, fearing they would react negatively. Such dismissive attitudes happen in all stages of medical care. Physicians allocate several symptoms to the onset of old age. Thus, dismissing a treatable pathology as logical and expected. This undertreatment of senior citizens by lumping all details is due to assuming that the treatment will fail.

On the other hand, some doctors offer recommendations assuming older patients as senile and childish. As a result, they do not engage in conversations over details of the illness. Furthermore, they are less patient while treating the elderly. The reluctance of doctors extends to staff too, who joke about old age without conscious awareness. Their patronizing tone and low expectations lead to a detached treatment. This over-treatment and detached attitude severely affects the patients and exposes them to unnecessary harm caused by random surgeries and medications. Participating social workers often spend less time in sessions of senior patients citing their suicidal tendencies or bruises as effects of old age. Their preconceived notions lead them to believe that older citizens are less resilient and less inclined to overcome mental disorders.

Ageism also causes health issues in older adults. Firstly, the psychological impact is seen in rising stress and death anxiety which changes behavioral patterns. Secondly, the elderly develop negative thinking and a pessimistic view regarding the natural process of aging. They develop notions of self-agism. Thus, refusing to seek help even in necessity. And the third impact is physiological, as these self-flagellating thoughts cause mental afflictions. Refusal to seek treatment causes brain changes. Thus, leading to rapidly deteriorating health.

The demand for healthcare will undoubtedly increase with the increase in the elderly population worldwide. So it is essential to identify challenges and take steps to combat ageism.

Combating Ageism with New Strategies

Firstly, we must learn how to identify and distinguish such practices in society. Nobody says they are ageist. However, every second person either implicitly or explicitly supports ageism. Having identified such behaviors, the next step is to revise policies. And thirdly, intervention programs and vigilant implementation to spread mass awareness. Below are some tips that can contribute to fighting age bias:

• Engage the elderly in important decisions. Try to understand their functional ability.
• Doctors need to talk to caregivers and the patient about illness.
• Remain vigilant in examining bias and identifying stereotypes.
• Flexible workplace policies to be implemented as required.
• Provide the elderly with equal opportunities to get involved in skill-building.
• Change perceptions of work and retirement, especially in workplaces.
• Devise an efficient mechanism for reporting such instances without fear.
• Offer sensitivity training and interventions in society.
• Conduct proper assessments of the conditions of senior citizens.

Conclusion

Research conducted by the World Health Organization has found that ageism causes poorer health conditions, social isolation, and financial losses. Moreover, it also leads to a shorter life span and premature deaths due to degenerative disorders. Thus, ageism is that deadly poison of society that would lead to huge losses impacting the world financially, socially, and morally if left uncontrolled. Hence, considering its widespread impact on current and future generations, we must come together and fight this prejudice hand-in-hand.

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