Ageism Towards Older People - Motion Graphics

Summary

Ageism, a term coined by Robert Neil Butler in 1969, refers to prejudice or discrimination based on a person's age. The video explores the various levels at which ageism manifests: personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural. Personal level involves stereotyping elderly as fragile or unfit. Interpersonal level includes actions and behaviors like speaking loudly to elders. Institutions may implement policies that limit elderly rights despite existing protective laws. Culturally, perceptions of age and respect for the elderly vary globally, with countries like Japan valuing elders' wisdom, whereas Western countries often undervalue them. The video calls for a shift in recognizing the value of older population, emphasizing they deserve respect and dignity.

Highlights

• Robert Neil Butler coined the term 'ageism' in 1969 as he worked to combat age discrimination. 📅
• Ageism can manifest as subtle disrespect or overt discriminatory actions towards older people. 🥀
• The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 aims to protect older individuals in the workplace, but not all employers adhere to it. 🏢
• In healthcare, older patients often face age-based assumptions that can lead to inadequate medical care. 🏥
• Culturally, nations like Japan revere their elderly, viewing them as wise, while many Western societies often don’t. 👴
• Different countries have varying perceptions of the 'end of youth' and beginning of 'old age.' 📊

Key Takeaways

• Ageism affects individuals on personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural levels, each with distinctive impacts. 🏛️
• Cultural perspectives on aging vary globally; in some countries, the elderly are honored, while in others, they're undervalued. 🌍
• Laws against age discrimination exist, but enforcement and cultural change are needed to effectively protect the rights of older individuals. ⚖️
• Challenging stereotypes and treating older individuals with respect can help combat ageism. 💪
• Raising awareness about ageism and its impacts can drive societal change towards more inclusive attitudes. 🚀

Overview

Ageism, recognized as a significant societal issue, was first identified by Robert Neil Butler in 1969. This phenomenon involves stereotyping and discrimination based on age, affecting older adults worldwide. The narrative spans multiple dimensions, including personal beliefs where older individuals are perceived as weak or unfit, escalating to interpersonal interactions with discriminatory actions.

On an institutional level, policies may exist to protect older adults, like the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, yet enforcement is inconsistent. Ageism extends into healthcare, where older individuals may receive inadequate care due to age-based stereotypes. While laws strive to protect, real-world adherence often falls short, particularly in workplaces resisting change.

Culturally, the value and perception of older individuals differ across the globe. Countries like Japan revere their elders, showcasing respect and value, contrasting starkly with some Western societies where this respect is often lacking. Such cultural viewpoints shape how societies perceive aging and influence the treatment of older adults.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Ageism In a diverse society, humans often stereotype and discriminate against others based on race, gender, physical appearance, and age. This chapter introduces the concept of ageism, which is prejudice or discrimination based on a person's age. The term 'ageism' was coined in 1969.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Historical Perspective In this chapter, the focus is on the historical perspective of ageism, primarily through the life and work of Robert Neil Butler, the first director of the National Institute on Aging. Butler dedicated his life to combating age discrimination and other issues affecting older adults. The chapter discusses how ageism manifests in subtle ways, such as disrespect, being ignored, or patronized, and highlights the global seriousness of this issue.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Subtle vs. Blatant Discrimination blatant discriminations such as insults or abuse exist on four different levels known in sociology: personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural. Each level influences the others. On a personal level, values, beliefs, and feelings are held.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Personal Level of Ageism The chapter discusses personal ageism, where individuals hold assumptions or beliefs about older adults being fragile, ill, or unfit for work. It clarifies that at this stage, these are beliefs and opinions without any discriminatory behavior. However, strong personal views on ageism can lead to interpersonal ageism, where these beliefs manifest in actions, behavior, or language, resulting in discrimination.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Interpersonal Interactions The chapter 'Interpersonal Interactions' discusses ageism, particularly how actions and behaviors towards older individuals can be offensive, even if not extreme. Examples include speaking louder to older adults presuming they have hearing issues or assisting them with simple tasks assuming they are weak. The chapter also touches on institutional ageism, where rules, policies, and procedures may extend or limit older people's rights.
• 02:30 - 03:30: Institutional Ageism The chapter titled 'Institutional Ageism' discusses legal measures in place to protect older individuals from age discrimination, particularly in the workplace. It mentions specific legislation, such as the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, which is enforced by the Civil Rights Center. This act prohibits age-based discrimination in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. It also states that it is unlawful for employers to refuse hiring, discharge, or otherwise discriminate against individuals based on their age.
• 03:30 - 04:30: Examples in Medical Field The chapter titled 'Examples in Medical Field' discusses age discrimination in employment, particularly focusing on older individuals. Despite laws designed to protect older workers, many employers fail to adhere to these regulations. The chapter highlights numerous instances where older employees are terminated from their jobs, with employers denying that age was a factor, referencing data from the Department of Working Pensions.
• 04:30 - 05:00: Cultural Perspectives Chapter: Cultural Perspectives This chapter explores the pervasive issue of ageism, highlighting a common belief among employers worldwide that older workers' productivity declines with age. Despite little evidence supporting this perception, it significantly impacts decision-making processes on both personal and institutional levels, affecting workplaces and medical institutions alike.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Perceptions of Old Age The chapter "Perceptions of Old Age" highlights the disparity in healthcare treatment received by older people compared to younger people. It notes that while the issue might not be as prevalent in the US as it is in the UK, older individuals often experience their medical needs being dismissed or neglected. This is attributed to healthcare professionals making age-based assumptions rather than evaluating each patient's functional status. Moreover, there is a noted scarcity of geriatric-trained doctors in the US, with only 10% of medical schools mandating such specialization.
• 06:00 - 06:30: Conclusion The chapter provides a critical perspective on the treatment and perception of older people in various societies. It highlights a stark contrast between Asian countries like Japan, where older individuals are respected for their wisdom and experience, and Western countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, where older people may not receive the same level of respect or consideration in terms of medical welfare. The analysis points out the disparity in attitudes towards aging across different cultures.

Ageism Towards Older People - Motion Graphics Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 in a diverse society and as human beings we tend to create stereotypes and sometimes even discriminate people for their race gender physical appearance Etc we unintentionally group People based on certain characteristics that they possess one of these characteristics is age their Prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a person's age is called agism the term agism was coined in 1969
• 00:30 - 01:00 by Robert Neil Butler the first director of the National Institute on Aging robbert dedicated most of his life fighting age discrimination and many other problems that older people face you may not give it much thought but aism was the serious issue around the world that many older people experienced a possible reason for the awareness of aism is because older people face subtle discriminations such as disrespect being ignored or Patron ized more often than
• 01:00 - 01:30 blatant discriminations such as insults or abuse aism like many other issues exists on four different levels levels of existence or seeing as known in sociology the four different levels are personal interpersonal institutional and cultural each plays a role in another let's start off with agism on a personal level out of the four levels values beliefs and feelings are held on a personal level when the issue of of
• 01:30 - 02:00 agism a person who automatically sees and assumes older people to be fragile ill helpless or unfit for work or other assumptions associated with older people would be considered agist on a personal level there is however no discriminatory Behavior at this point only belief and opinion having a strong personal view on the issue of agism or any issue in that case often leads the issue to exist on an interpersonal level this is where actions behaviors and language take place at this Point discriminatory
• 02:00 - 02:30 actions and behavior towards an older person are observed the actions are not necessarily extreme but are offensive to many who experience the effects for example speaking louder to older people because you think that they have bad hearing or trying to help out older people with simple tasks because you think they are weak would fall in an interpersonal level of agism on an Institutional level of agism rules policies and procedures are put in place to extend or limit rights of older people there are currently laws in the
• 02:30 - 03:00 workplace to protect older people from age discrimination for example the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 enforced by the Civil Rights Center prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person's age in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance the adaa also states that it is unlawful for an employer to quote to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to
• 03:00 - 03:30 his compensation terms conditions or privileges of employment because of such individual's age despite the fact that these laws are put into place to protect older people the employers are the ones responsible for following these regulations the only problem with that is that many don't there are countless cases of older people getting fired from their workplace and the employers are denying that age is the factor based on the department of working pen
• 03:30 - 04:00 little evidence was found to suggest that older workers productivity declines with age nevertheless there's clear evidence that many employers across different countries do believe that older workers productivity does decline this is an example of a strong personal and interpersonal reasoning and decision making on the issue of agism which affects individuals and institutions and the workplace medical institutions are also ages when it comes to older people it has been reported in many cases that
• 04:00 - 04:30 older people do not get equal treatment at Hospitals and Clinics that the younger people do perhaps not so much in the United States but in the UK many older people's medical needs are not seriously taken when it comes to Health healthc Care Professionals often make assumptions about their older patients based on age rather than on functional status in the United States there is a lack of doctors trained for the needs of the elderly or geriatric doctors only 10% of of medical schools require work
• 04:30 - 05:00 in geriatric medicine as much as we may want to believe that we care about older people's medical welfare a simple look at the numbers shows otherwise culturally countries view older people differently commonly in Japan among other Asian countries older people are seen as wise and experienced in life they are generally well respected and hold a positive status in their society in other countries however like the United States United Kingdom France and many European countries older
• 05:00 - 05:30 people are not seen in that way instead they are dismissed as people without much value based on collected data from surveys older people in Turkey claim to experience very little to no agism however based on the same data France and Romania are on the top of the charts when it comes to the seriousness of agism it's also interesting to take a look at how different countries view age on different levels for example out of the nearly 55,000 people surveyed across 28 different countries in Europe interesting information has been
• 05:30 - 06:00 gathered when being asked at what age is the end of Youth people in Greece on average said 51 to 52 when asking the same question in Norway the average age of when one reaches the end of Youth is considered 33 to 34 the difference is quite fascinating when being asked at what age a person becomes old people in Greece said 68 on average however people surveyed in Turkey said that 55 was the beginning of old age the way ages perceived varies from country to country from culture to culture everyone will
• 06:00 - 06:30 grow old one day if they will be lucky enough to get that far you must understand that old people once used to be young just like you and that you too will become old like them old people should not be discriminated against but rather be shown respect people do not come with an expiration date and they shouldn't be treated like a outdated object