This October we recognise Ageism Awareness day on Wednesday 9th. This provides an opportunity to draw attention to ageism in Australia and to begin to change community attitudes.
The Australian Human Rights Commission report on ageism across the Australian lifespan found that ageism is widespread in society. Ninety per cent of people surveyed agreed ageism exists in Australia and 83 per cent, identified it as a problem.
Ageism is prejudice expressed toward a person because of their age. It includes stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel), and discrimination (how we act) towards people on the basis of their age. While people of all ages can and do experience ageism, it has particularly serious consequences for older people’s health and wellbeing.
Ageism is not just bad for society; negative stereotypes of older people are bad for the individual who holds them too. Researchers have found that they affect how we age, both physically and mentally, with impacts on many aspects of our later lives, from memory function and hearing problems to the risk of depression and even longevity.
EveryAGE Counts is an advocacy campaign aimed at tackling ageism against older Australians. Their campaign focusses on addressing ageismrelating to older people.
As a form of discrimination, ageism has three key aspects:
• Prejudicial attitudes towards older people, including some attitudes held by older people themselves
• Discriminatory practices against older people, for instance in employment, insurance or health care
• Institutional practices that perpetuate negative stereotypes – including ageist language and representation of old people in the media.
Older people are often portrayed as forgetful, grumpy, doddery old people, holding up traffic and being baffled by technology.
There is no binding international treaty dedicated to the rights of older persons, like there is for race, sex, children and disability, in spite of the growing trend of ageing populations, both globally and in Australia
Australia’s Age Discrimination Commissioner, Robert Fitzgerald AM, calls on the Federal Government to formally endorse the creation of a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons and a national human rights framework to clearly affirm human rights as they apply specifically to older people.
“Australians are getting older, and whether it be in our workplaces, health, social or aged care sectors, the challenges facing our ageing population are increasing – with each issue exacerbated by soaring economic pressures,” he said.
“Governments need to re-examine existing systems to find new or better ways to value, support and safeguard the needs and rights of our growing cohort of older people.”
Ageism is not benign or harmless. It is pervasive but often hidden. It can distort attitudes to older people and ageing and have profound negative impacts on our personal experience of growing older. The impacts of ageism can prevent or limit us from contributing and participating in our communities – socially, economically and as full citizens – and even impact our physical health and longevity.
As well as its individual impacts, ageism can also deny society the enormous range of benefits that can flow, economically and socially, from the full participation of older people.
Are you ageist? Visit EveryAGE Counts website and take the quiz: everyagecounts.org.au/takethequiz. It’s an eye-opener. Encourage your friends, family and especially work colleagues to take the quiz too. You may be surprised at the result; it’s also a great way to start conversations about ageism.
