Are Ageist Stereotypes Affecting Your View Of Your Aging Parents?

Our society seems to have a widespread ageist attitude about older adults. In the media, elders are shown receiving help, taking medications, being infirm, and less capable in many ways because of age. It is inescapable that these images shape our own attitudes.

Stereotypes cause us to think of people in groups as being all the same or similar. For example, “teenagers are irresponsible”, or a certain ethnic group is “lazy” and “old people are out of it”. These pervasive beliefs lead to what we do in response to someone we stereotype. No one wants to be on the receiving end of this kind of thinking, as it is often totally unfair, but stereotypes about aging persist.