Ageism is defined as discrimination against older (and younger) people because of negative and inaccurate stereotypes. It may be one of the most pervasive prejudices, one that is ingrained in our American culture – especially against older adults. While many organizations and communities are addressing issues such as racism and gender bias, age bias or ageism rarely registers.

There are three types of ageism: Institutional ageism, which occurs when an organization or entity perpetuates ageism through its actions or policies; interpersonal ageism occurs in social interactions with peers, family and even healthcare providers; internalized ageism is when a person holds ageist beliefs and applies them to themselves. Data from the 2020 National Poll on Healthy Aging found that 82% of older Americans reported experiencing ageism regularly.

Some examples of ageism include businesses unwilling to hire people over a certain age, viewing older people as less skilled or out of touch, disregarding someone’s concerns or wishes due to their age, or taking advantage of someone’s age for personal gain.

Ageism is a stubborn prejudice and people of all ages show bias against older people – including older people themselves. And, of course, as with the beliefs surrounding most biases, they are often based on falsehoods. For example, while the risk of some chronic diseases and dementia increases with age, most older adults maintain relatively good health and cognitive functioning. And while it is true that some cognitive skills such as reaction times tend to slow a bit as we age, there is also evidence that many strengths develop with aging including increased creativity and ability to sustain focused attention, as well as greater happiness and life satisfaction as compared to younger people.

This negative view of aging is not only false – it can be dangerous.

“People who take in more negative age beliefs tend to show worse physical, cognitive and mental health,” stated Becca Levy, Ph.D. of Yale’s School of Public Health and Psychology.

Nancy Morrow, Ph.D., who is a social policy and gerontology professor at Washington University, added, “The narrative that age is decline, age is burden, hurts everyone. Some older adults need support, but mostly they’re giving it. They make important contributions to the workforce, including paid work as well as volunteering and caregiving. Those contributions to society are a resource, not a luxury.”

It’s important to challenge ageism and that often starts with awareness and by reimagining healthier relationships with our older/aging selves. Are you ageist? To learn more, visit the World Health Organization webpage at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/ageism.

And for help navigating resources, call us at USC-VHH Community Resource Center for Aging at (818) 949-4033 or email us at Aging-Resources@med.usc.edu.