Stereotyping of Older Adults
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Stereotyping of Older Adults, Textbook p.577 and DHS: http://www.oregon.gov/dhs/apd-dd-training/EQC%20Training%20Documents/Myths%20and%Stereotypes%20of%20Aging.pdf
Stereotyping are judgments made about a person based on their age or any other characteristic. Butler Robert refers to this judgment of older people as ageism (DHS). These misconceptions are used to deny the older adults certain privileges as more value is placed on the youth. One of these stereotypes is that all older people are alike. Most people possess the idea that we become more alike as we age (DHS). On the contrary, according to Peppard of the Oregon Department of Human Services, people tend to become more different as they age. This is attributed to different experiences in life that make people unique.
Another stereotype is that aging is tantamount to memory loss. What most people forget is that memory loss is a result of many factors and therefore aging cannot be equated to memory loss. The retirement age is referred by many as the golden age (DHS). For most people, old age is not really a golden time for them. It is associated with poverty, isolation, loss of physical ability among many other things for most old people (DHS).
There are indeed many myths associated with old age, but the one that is used to deny old people opportunities is that they are unproductive and uncreative (DHS). According to Peppard, most people equate productivity and creativeness with employment and earning. The fact is that older people have more chances to develop their creative abilities since they have free from employment responsibilities.