Ageism

What Your Doctor Won't Say To Your Face

Posted by: Anti-Ageism Task Force

March 28, 2008—Aging Well Magazine's Winter 2008 cover story, "Ageism In Healthcare: Time for a Change," examines the insidious nature of ageism in the healthcare industry. Richard Currey is a physician's assistant and freelance writer for the National Institutes of Health. As such, he has a privileged view of the inner goings-on of our healthcare system.

Currey works in "a busy urban emergency department" where at least half of the patients are aged 60 or older. Although he is quick to point out they receive the same quality-of-care as do younger patients, he is also, at age 58, sensitive to the way older patients are regularly referred to in demeaning or condescending ways, such as:

train wrecks
disaster waiting to happen
nightmare on a stretcher
dotty old guy in bed three
gramps down the hall
sweet old lady

ILC's "Ageism in America" Cites Startling Statistics

Currey cites ILC-CEO Robert N. Butler with being the first to define ageism as a "systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people because they are old," and credits him with bringing much-needed attention to the fact that ageism is a legitimate issue with far-reaching and disturbing implications.

Check out these statistics, Currey says in effect, based on our 2006 report "Ageism in America":

90% of older Americans never receive routine screenings for:
- bone density
- colon cancer
- prostate cancer
- glaucoma
60% of older adults don't receive routine screenings for:
- blood pressure
- high cholesterol

The Power of Positive Thinking

Currey also explores research by Becca Levy, Ph.D. of the Yale University School of Public Health, that studies how our own negative self-perceptions and preconceptions about aging have a direct impact on our health. Levy's research has helped form a new initiative called Vital Visionaries, which collaborates with major medical schools and museums to pair medical students with elders in a variety of settings and activities. The idea is to offer students an opportunity to interact with older adults outside of the four walls of hospitals, helping them see elders in different views than the typical ones of extreme illness and frailty.

We commend Mr. Currey for a courageous, engaging, and illuminating report. Click here to read the full article.

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