Does Ageism Make Us Invisible and Less Valuable?

Yesterday I blogged about Dr. Levy's new book on ageism.  Now, continuing that theme, I wanted to be sure you saw this article in Healthline,  Do We Become Invisible As We Age? Mentioning Dr. Levy's book as well as other factors, the article explains that

"Ageism — prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping based on age — is sometimes called society’s last acceptable “ism.” It happens at work, to celebrities, and in everyday ways. And it can make people feel invisible as they get older...  A 2020 University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging found that 82 percent of adults 50 to 80 surveyed reported regularly experiencing at least one form of “everyday ageism.” ...  And, according to the World Health OrganizationTrusted Source, “Every second person in the world is believed to hold ageist attitudes, leading to poorer physical and mental health and reduced quality of life for older persons.” ... Plus, the pandemic has only made ageism worse, by increasing the physical isolation and accordant invisibility of older adults... So, where exactly do we see ageism and what can we do about it?

The article addresses ageism by where it occurs: in the workplace, in health care, in popular culture, and exams ageism's impact on people. The article discusses why some folks have ageist views and quotes one expert who identifies two types of folks who have ageist views: "The first type are “egoistic ageists” who fear aging and consider old people both repulsive and irrelevant... The other type, ..., “compassionate ageists,” view old people as “pathetic and needy” and believe that they must be served and protected."  As far as kids and young adults, yep it happens there, according to the article, noting "that ageism 'starts in childhood and is reinforced over time.'"

The article discusses the respect for elders, the importance of self-perception, the work being done to fight ageism, and what still needs to be done.  This is a great article to assign to students!