AGEISM AND AGING

"The Youth can walk faster but the Elder knows the road …. African proverb."

AGING is inevitable change but aging with grace is art. If this change is taken with positive affirmation aging can become healthy and dignified. WHO estimates that by 2050 people over the age 60 will be 2 billion. People are going to live longer.

Aging is valuable, so ensuring good health is important for the transition from adult to older adults. AGEISM is stereotyping and discriminating people based on their age. This can be institutional (older employees being given less important roles and jobs), interpersonal (targeting older in society, family gatherings and making negative representations), self-directed ( anxiety, depression, fear of rejection, death ). Ageism is thus subtly present in all socioeconomic segments. But it is preventable. We need to change our social construct and belief that elders are burden to the society.

Younger generation sees them as incapable and incompetent to keep pace with fast changing environment, they consider elders to be unproductive if they don’t contribute to wealth. This has led to increased incidence of abuse, harassment, and neglect of the older adults. Eventually this results in social isolation, physical health being ignored they have added mental health issues. In India traditionally and culturally elders were supposed to be the pillars in family and social structure. Their skills, experience and potential contributions are remarkable in many ways. They can be caregivers, mentors, and innovators in the workforce.

We must consolidate roles and needs of older people. Give them benefit of interventions to foster their health and wellbeing. To provide access and ease to healthcare is our prime responsibility.

This will result in our own personal growth, creativity, and productivity. Changing the way “how we think”, “how we feel”, “how we act” can combat ageism.