Florida International University Ageism in Late Adulthood Discussion

Please write 300 words minimum

In Chapter 23, page 646, the topic of ageism is presented. For this discussion, address the following:

• Explain why ageism is a self-fulfilling prophecy in Late Adulthood?
• Give two examples of ageism and discuss the situation in which they happened

Please reply to the following posts, 200 words minimum per post.

Post 1

Chapter 23 discusses ageism and how ageism is a self-fulfilling prophecy in late adulthood. Ageism is described in the chapter as a prejudice whereby people ate judged solely on the basis of their chronological age. The suffix –ism is destructive. The harm of racism and sexism are well-known, and other -isms, notably ableism (the idea that those with disabilities are less worthy), are recognized as limiting human potential. Individual who suffer the sting of ageism may be blindsided and unprepared to counteract the prejudice they experience. Ageism is unrecognized but pervasive in the media, employment, and retirement communities.

Ageism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that comes true because people believe it. There are three harmful consequences:

*If people of any age treat older people as if they are frail and confused, that treatment might make the aged more dependent om others.

*If people believe that the norms for young adults should apply to everyone, they may try to fix the old. If they fail, they give up.

*If older people themselves think that their age makes them feeble, they stop taking care of themselves and avoid social interaction, and that itself makes them age faster.

Two situations of ageism that I can think of is my grandmother/grandfather and a very good family friend who just recently passed away at the age of 100. My grandmother (maternal) and grandfather (paternal) are well into their 80’s. For as long as I remember, they have always been very independent. My maternal grandmother was also very independent. They cook, clean, drive, and pay their own bills. My grandparents do not let their age determine how they live their lives. They always tell me that until they unable to do for themselves, they will continue to live alone and solve their own problems. Another example of ageism I can think of is my grandmothers best friend who just recently passed. She has always felt that age was nothing more than a number. She dressed, spoke, and carried herself as if she were always 20 years younger than what she really was. Often times, people made it seem like she needed more than the average older person because of her advanced age. She would always remind others that being older did not mean she could not do things for herself. I laugh now, but I remember the times when I have called older women “senora” out of respect and they would quickly say “no me digas senora que me haces sentir vieja” with a smile on their face.

How ageism becomes the self-fulfilling prophecy is easy to see. When a person begins to believe that they are weak, feeble, or need others because of their age, they begin to act that way and eventually become it. Attitude is everything. The way we see the process of aging and the way we act about it plays a huge role in the quality of life we have as we age. Attitudes towards aging may be one reason that longevity varies markedly depending on where a person lives. For example, Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world, perhaps because of cultural practices such as Respect for the Aged Day, when everyone is supposed to heed the wisdom of the aged.

Post 2

Chapter 23 in our book, presents us with the late adulthood stage and the topic of ageism. This chapter just refreshed my memory with the information that every -ism is destructive, such as sexism, racism, ableism etc.… Ageism is the worst of the -isms because first, we feel free to express stereotypes and we even think we are not being hostile because we believe we are expressing true statements about older people when we utter negative stereotypes. The other reason is because most elderly may be blindsided and unprepared for the prejudice they experience, specially if you are were never a member of a stigmatized group. Ageism is a self-fulfilling prophesy because it is a belief that comes true if you believe it will.

One example of situation where I have seen ageism and the self-fulfilling prophesy at work is with my mom. I have heard my mom say comments of “I’m getting old” or “I am too old for that” since she was 35. I passed that age and I wonder why she would do that, because I honestly feel like I am 25 years old. My mom’s comments made her a victim so that all her seven children will cater to her and she would depend on us for everything. My mom is 65 and she has no excuse to this day for not learning the language, she’s been in this country for over half of her life. I feel that she never learned it because she had us around. I remember I was 10 years old and I had to go with her shopping or do groceries and she would take me only to be her translator. Till this day, my mom still waits on one of us siblings to come pay a bill for her, but she can manage Facebook better than anyone of us siblings. Sometimes the letters are written to her in Spanish and we change all the apps in her phone to Spanish, but she still brings all her letters to us to read to her. She is a great example of the harmful consequence the self-fulfilling prophesy of ageism has on her.

The other example is my mother and father in-law. I admire my in-laws for everything they are and do for the entire family. They are very active individuals in their mid-70s, they have 12 grandchildren and they love to be with the family. They both love to cook, and they are always helping me with my kids and the rest of the grandkids. My in-laws make time for everything and I feel they have a great balance. They like to travel, as a couple and love family trips with all 23 members. They love to make dinner or plan a party, for the family once a month. I am truly blessed with them and how active they are and how they stay up to date with what is going on around the world. They take walks almost daily and are both healthy. They are a great example of how attitude affects how you feel about ageism and it does not have to be destructive.

I also want to add what the chapter touches on the topic of life longevity of a person. I believe that those countries that have respect for the elderly are more likely to have a better attitude and helps them live longer because ageism is not considered destructive. I believe that allows a person to age without thinking of it as a negative stereotype but as a person that is wise and can provide advice to the youth.