Don’t know what ageism is? Ask a millennial to describe “old age.” You will hear words like retired, sickly, frail, feeble, dependent. These are ageist stereotypes of older adults. And these stereotypes manifest themselves in various forms of discrimination that…
Imagine a world without “seniors.” No more senior citizens, senior discounts, senior living and senior centers, senior advocates. Oh yeah, no more senior moments. Older adults and older people: You’re welcome. Use of the adjective “older” conveniently qualifies individuals with…
Guest essay by Kirsten Jacobs, associate director of dementia and wellness education at LeadingAge This past month I attended my 20-year high school reunion (go Generals!). I have come and gone a few times, but I now live in my…
Labels rub us wrong. They scratch our collars on shirts and waists on pants. Men’s and women’s, all patterns and colors, whether cheap or fancy. A real scourge. The only thing more uncomfortable is when labels are attached to people,…
This is an old story with a new plot twist: Add to Hollywood’s well-documented biases against woman and minorities a new category: older adults. More confirmation than revelation, ageism exists in the entertainment industry, according to a comprehensive study of…
Woman, compared to men, are short-changed and disrespected in the workplace; under-covered or overexposed by media; ripped off with “beauty” products and salons; among other sexist biases. That said, it would be ludicrous to suggest as a solution to these…
There are two fundamental values by which ALL humans should live and be judged. #1: The Golden Rule to live by: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” By this rule, criminals, scammers, cheaters, liars, line…
We need to take a different approach to ageism reform. It’s time to “talk the walk.” As counterintuitive as this may sound, consider how the approach improved the plight of gays in America. The remarkable progress made in gay pride…
Here’s another example why record stores are struggling to survive. I walk a couple of miles down Land Park Drive to Broadway, to Dimple Records, the local independent music store, excited to pick up the new Ryan Adams, Deerhunter and…
Growing older is confounded by misapprehensions, contradictions, ironies and age-inappropriateness. The sooner we can correct these bad attitudes and actions and get back to when longevity rules, the sooner we can slap a cease-and-desist order on manufacturers and marketers of…
