Elderly people, or those who are already in their later years, experience different kinds of emotions. Some may feel fulfilled while others also experience negative emotions.
This paper aims to present ageism and stereotypes in late adulthood, and evaluate health and wellness practices that may mitigate these undesirable perceptions about ageing. Aside from this, social interaction and individual relationships will be highlighted in this paper as a key aspect in mitigating the adverse effects of ageing. Lastly, the cultural and personal perception on death and dignity will be identified.
One of the primary categories that people uses to identify a person is through his or her age. This categorization resulted to ageism, which is the prejudice made by people towards older people. Ageism is manifested in daily life circumstances through different stereotypical notions about older people. Specifically, most of the time, people communicate with older people through “overaccomodation and baby talk” (Nelson, 2001, p.209). Overaccomodation is speaking too polite, loud, and slow while baby talk is when people speak in a simple manner of speech but with exaggeration in tone and high pitch. These forms of communication towards old people are anchored on the stereotypical notions that they have hearing problems, slow thought process, and dependency (Giles, Fox, Harwood, & Williams 1994; Caporael & Culbertson, 1986 as cited in Nelson, 2001, p. 209).
Another pressing concern is the presence of ageism among health professionals. This is due to their stereotypical notion that their old patients are untreatable, depressed, and strict (Reyes-Ortiz 1997 as cited in Nelson 2001, p. 211). Also, most of healthcare providers improvidently address the medical needs of the older patients instead of proactively preventing their illnesses. Moreover, ageism is also present among psychiatrists. They do not want to work with older people because of the stereotypical view that they talk too much or less, they are unimportant, and that they already have poor physical and cognitive skills (Nelson, 2001, p. 212).
Nonetheless, ageism and stereotypes can be prevented by promoting health and wellness into late adulthood, which can mitigate the negative effects of ageing. According to the study of Lachman and Agrigoroaei (2010), health and wellness in late adulthood can be better if the person has protective factors. These protective factors include healthy physical activities, social and familial support, and control over their beliefs. Specifically, regular exercise prevents certain disability among people in their late adulthood. This also promotes proper functioning of the pulmonary, muscle, and bones. In order for this to be carried out, it is advised that communities provide programs for older people that teach aerobic classes and flexibility exercises. It is also advisable that, aside from exercise, the community should also create regular communal activities where older people can participate (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.).
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