Impact of ageism

Md Mosaddek Hussain :
Ageism affects the status of aged care as a career, the value placed on older clients, and decision making about services and treatments. Research shows that working with the elders care services is the less attractive option for trainee workers, professionals such as medical and nursing students.
Stevens and Herbert (1997) argue that negative views towards older people are particularly systemic in healthcare where the priorities are based on the value of obtaining a ‘cure’ and on the high status of working with latest technologies and devices.
Older people are considered as ‘bad Pullers’ because they require longer.
Hospital stays in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics or other sorts of elderly care homes. They may also be seen as failures of the system because they deny health professionals the achievement of the much sought-after goal of a cure.
Misconceptions about older people and ageing have been reported to affect various professional decisions making and lead to a failure to attend to treatable symptoms. For example, Gatz and Pearson (1988) argued that ageism among psychologists results in under-servicing, overuse of diagnoses such as Alzheimer’s disease compared with those for reversible conditions, and reluctance to treat depression, loneliness and other psychological and emotional problems wrongly assumed to be an inevitable part of ageing process. Many older people thus live unnecessarily with restrictions and impairments.
Ageism in older people:
Some of the most ardent proponents of ageism can be older people themselves. A lifetime of negative messages can mean that by the time a person reaches old age, firmly entrenched beliefs have created a ‘self fulfilling’ prophesy, such that the individual comes to act in accordance with them.
The result may be limited horizons, opportunities, and freedom of choice. An unwillingness to question the expertise and authority of doctors and other health professionals may also impede the access of older persons to the fullest information and the most appropriate treatment options. Internalised ageism may also affect a person’s readiness to seek treatment for conditions that can be alleviated, on the assumption that they are just a part of old age.
Successful ageing
The current approach to ageing advocated by government, supported by this paper, and conveyed as a major theme of International Year of Older Persons is that of ‘successful ageing.’ Successful ageing involves the maintenance of mental, emotional, psychological, physical and social health. It is closely linked with day-to-day quality of lifestyle as a whole. Butler (1991) defines it in terms of four forms of fitness: physical, intellectual, social, and purpose fitness. Physical fitness refers to bodily Strength, resilience and ability. Intellectual fitness refers to keeping the mind engaged and active. Social fitness involves forming and maintaining significant personal relationships. Purpose fitness refers to having positive feelings of self-esteem and control over one’s own life.
Battersby (1998) commends Butler’s definition for conveying the importance of taking a positive view about ageing and growing old. While terms such as ‘successful’ and ‘healthy’ in relation to ageing may imply the possibility of failure, particularly in circumstances of ill-health, the importance of ongoing attempts to use language in non-stigmatising, inclusive and positive ways should not be dismissed by health professionals accustomed to ‘deficit’ models.
Central themes of IYOP in Australia included emphasis on community integration, respect for the contribution of older people, family and intergenerational issues, the need to promote positive images, well-being, health, preventive health, housing, employment, and retirement planning. These all reflect an emphasis on successful ageing, independence, dignity, and well-being, as endorsed by organisations of older people themselves. For example, the Older Women’s Network is working to promote ‘successful ageing’ and to empower older women to take an active and positive approach to the later stage of life.
Organisations such as The Body Shop have sponsored campaigns to ‘Celebrate Your Age’ and challenge constraining notions of health and beauty. Such initiatives are particularly important in combating the combined effects of ageism on a sector of the population where women are in the majority in number.