Ageism & Seniors’ Mental Health
So what do we know about Ageism in Canada? Well, for one, it is the most ‘tolerated’ form of discrimination in our society, and about 6 in 10 adults 66 years of age and older say they have been treated unfairly or differently because of their age. Moreover, one in five Canadians believes older adults are a burden on our society.
The infographic below is a summary of ageism in Canada by the Revera Report on Ageism.
Ageism can take many forms. It may be prejudicial thinking about a group of people based on their age, an insult, a subtle and unintentional remark, being treated with less respect, being seen as less competent, or as being denied employment or opportunities because of one’s age, or even being treated differently in the health care system. While age discrimination refers to describe the act of treating people unequally based on their age, ageism is a much broader concept, referring to “deeply rooted negative beliefs about older people and the aging process, which may then give rise to age discrimination”.
Ageism, and particularly stigma about mental illness, also have considerable impacts on older adults’ mental health. When we do nothing to fight these stigmas and ageist attitudes and actions, we are perpetuating this negative attitude towards older adults. In turn, this can then lead older adults to having a negative self-stereotype at conscious and unconscious levels. These negative self-stereotypes can adversely affect memory and other neurocognitive processes. Regardless of mental or cognitive health issues, negative views of aging — often born out of stigmas and stereotypes — have been shown to negatively impact the mental and physical health of older adults.