New must-read e book for reporters tackles ageism

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About Liz Seegert

Liz Seegert is an impartial well being journalist and AHCJ’s subject chief on getting old. She covers older adults, child boomers, well being coverage, and social determinants of well being, in addition to many different well being points. Her bylines embrace tales for PBS/NextAvenue.org. the American Journal of Nursing, TIME Well being, Medscape, Shopper Experiences, and Medical Economics, in addition to dozens of different commerce and mainstream media. Her articles have been syndicated in Forbes.com, the Los Angeles Instances, the Hartford Courant, the Saturday Night Submit and different main shops.

Tracey Gendron, Ph.D. (Picture courtesy of the Virginia Commonwealth College)

We're all responsible of ageism, even these of us who report on or examine getting old for a dwelling. It’s all over the place — in promoting, motion pictures, the office, well being care settings, and household and social relationships. Nevertheless, till we’re conscious and prepared to acknowledge age bias, we will’t overcome it as a society.

That’s why I used to be so desirous to learn Ageism Unmasked by Tracey Gendron, Ph.D., chair of the Virginia Commonwealth College division of gerontology and govt director of the Virginia Middle on Getting old. This well-researched and written e book explores our publicity to the “old is bad, young is good” trope from childhood.

Gendron guides readers on tips on how to acknowledge our implicit and express biases and reframes getting old as a optimistic, slightly than a unfavorable expertise. She additionally discusses how we will deal with everybody extra considerately, no matter age.

On this Q&A, Gendron shares what journalists ought to be mindful when reporting on getting old issues. This dialog was edited for brevity and readability.

What do you imply while you say, “ageism is our prejudice against our future selves?”

All people thinks ageism is about older individuals. We're all getting old. Not simply in our later years however all through our lifespan. We fail to notice that we're not solely setting ourselves up for discriminating towards our future selves, however we’re impacting our well being in a unfavorable means. The highly effective connection individuals must make is, we’re all elders in coaching. Once you discriminate towards somebody based mostly on their older age, you’re setting your self up for that very same stage of discrimination.

Why does ageism appear far more prevalent in Western cultures than in different societies?

rue. For those who go to the literature now, you’ll see that ageism is all over the place. It's in all cultures, all continents, and all nations. Quite a lot of that has to do with the separation of households as a result of we don’t dwell in intergenerational communities anymore. Possibly not very indigenous cultures and societies, however for essentially the most half, youngsters transfer away. They don’t dwell the place their dad and mom did. And so, they institutionalize older individuals and see caregiving as a burden as a result of that’s how we speak about it. You see an increase in ageism all over the place, however a part of it's as a result of we don’t acknowledge the generational rhetoric as ageism.

How did we get to a degree the place being older is a nasty factor? As soon as upon a time, we used to honor and respect elders.

Ageism is all over the place, a lot in order that we overlook to acknowledge it. We overlook to see it. I wrote this e book to attempt to work out the “how we got here” half as a result of it’s a protracted and sophisticated story. Ageism is sophisticated as a result of getting old is sophisticated. Getting old isn't just one factor. And I feel lots of people have hassle holding two opposing issues of their heads on the similar time. Getting old is about decline. Getting old can also be about progress.

The buildings of our societies have continued to be constructed brick by brick to make it [aging] extra invisible. The truth that we usually segregate older individuals ought to be eye-opening sufficient to be like, why is that? Why will we construct these communities and put previous individuals there?

Older individuals want to be in the community. They need to have a spot to belong. I feel ageism is the driving force of social isolation. Once you don’t have a spot the place you are feeling you’re valued, it’s simple to be remoted.

You point out within the e book that if we substitute race or faith in a number of the methods we speak about older individuals, it wouldn’t be acceptable. Are you able to broaden on that?

The phrases young and old typically include worth judgments. So even when you say “anti-aging is an industry,” when you had been to substitute one thing else in that place, anti-gender, anti-race, anti-whatever, you’d discover it offensive. I encourage individuals to try this.

It’s typically irritating for me as a journalist once I see demographic breakdowns of 65 and older — like all older individuals are one huge homogenous group. How can we push again towards that as a result of there's a variety of skills and challenges amongst this inhabitants?

I perceive that we have now to have some parameters to outline individuals. However you’re proper. The hazard is after we create these blueprints, we predict what individuals are going to love or dislike, what they’re going to worth, and what they’re going to buy.

You possibly can put two individuals in the identical state of affairs on the similar age they usually’re going to interpret that state of affairs otherwise. Age alone is just not a very good predictor of well being or anything. However, we have now but to determine a greater approach to say it or classify it. It’s a tough query.

How can journalists be extra conscious of language or biases when writing about this demographic?

Take a step again and see if you're contributing to the language disaster. For instance, as an alternative of the silver tsunami, equating it to a pure catastrophe, how about flipping it and searching on the alternatives as an alternative of a wealthy, numerous group of older individuals who carry a whole lot of lived experiences?

We're all going to be biased; we will’t assist it. Our brains work that means. What you’re speaking about is so related as a result of we have now to usher in and synthesize all of this info.

As reporters, when you’re searching for a narrative or an angle, cease and take into consideration the broad generalizations you’re making about whole teams of individuals. If we simply did that and stopped speaking concerning the getting old inhabitants as this homogenous group of individuals and as an alternative began to mirror the wealthy range and recognize the heterogeneity that’s inside it, that one step could be essential. Cease pondering of getting old as previous and begin pondering of getting old as developmental. Cease pondering of older individuals like this huge monolithic, homogeneous group. Begin to query your personal biases.

We additionally must cease equating profitable getting old with bodily and cognitive potential. Finally, we’re all going to expertise a decline. We're all going to die. We're mortal beings. So, does that imply in some unspecified time in the future, every of us is unsuccessful in our getting old? Does that imply that after we die, it’s a failure of getting old? Can’t we settle for that all of us have completely different paths that does embrace modifications to the best way that we expect, the best way we really feel and the best way our our bodies work? Many individuals really feel overlooked of this definition of success. And but they'll discover a lot pleasure, that means and function of their life