Rita Dichele holds Masters’ degrees in Counseling and Healthcare Administration. Currently, she is an advanced doctoral learner at Capella University where she is writing her dissertation on successful aging. Rita resides in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and serves as a board member on the Council on Aging. She is a town appointee for the Shrewsbury Cultural Council, facilitates two groups at the Shrewsbury Senior Center, and is a certified SHINE Medicare/Medicaid counselor. Rita is also a past presenter at the 2009 American Society on Aging Conference.
Aging is the process of growth and movement as we progress through each stage of life. The interesting concept of aging is that each of us ages chronically, but emotionally and physically we age in our own unique ways. For instance, one person may suffer physical hardship related to illness and disease because of an immune system that has been predisposed by genetic makeup, lifestyle habits, and environmental conditions.
Unfortunately, many older persons are subjected to myths about aging that often create detours to age successfully.
In 1975 Pulitzer Prize winner Dr. Robert N. Butler authored the book titled, Why Survive? Being Old in America in which he describes the negative attitude regarding the aging process. Dr. Butler referred to any negative attitude toward the aged as “ageism” which he considered was consistent with other types of discriminating and stereotyping of people such as “sexism” and “racism”. Dr. Butler suggested that ageism is perpetuated from one generation to the next because of aphorisms such as “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
Subsequent to Dr. Butler’s research, stereotyping of the elderly has evolved to a level of erroneous stereotyping that has been heightened, for example, by the mass media, especially by television and movies made in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Moreover, literary accounts of the elderly have portrayed ageist attitudes that preempt elderly capabilities to be productive individuals who are able to age successfully.
Notwithstanding previous portrayals of the elderly, a new image of the older individual has emerged. Because many of the famous actors are aging such as Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford, Sally Fields, Diane Keaton, characters in the movies are now being depicted as characters that are aging successfully. Thus, as a result new stereotyping is being generated that focuses less on ageist attitudes.
But nevertheless, there does exist today many myths about aging that are often perceived by the public at large as absolute truths, thus causing many to believe that aging invariably can lead to a future in which one disengages from the mainstream community. Perhaps individual acceptance of certain myths may take the mystery out of why so many older persons experience depression, substance abuse, and isolation.
Furthermore, in many instances later life can be less stressful. Unfortunately, members of our society perceive the elderly through stereotype lenses that suggest that as we age, we decline and live out our lives vulnerable to the vicissitudes of time. The problems of the widowed, those living alone, and certain minorities are often exaggerated inferring that older persons are troubled by later life stresses. This concept can often add to the typical stereotype of the older individual who is at risk of living the rest of his/her life to the fullest.
Current research conducted by gerontologists, individuals who study the elderly, suggests that aging is something to look forward to, dispelling common myths about aging. In fact much is being written about how older individuals are more resilient than their younger counterparts. Also, older individuals are more able to sustain lifestyles that are consistent with their previous days such as active sexual relations, living independently in their own homes, continued capabilities to make informed decisions, and cognitively able to process information and learn “new tricks”.
Furthermore, most older persons no longer live in poverty despite living on a fixed income. For instance, the creation of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Supplemental Security Income can remove economic hardships once a widespread problem with older individuals.
And finally, old age is a period of greater adaptation because older individuals are able to assimilate into their lifestyles more changes than younger individuals. For instance, older individuals are able to reconcile change because earlier life experiences have prepared them for the uncertainties of life. Decisions made early on will affect the lifestyle choices in later life.
In conclusion, statements made to the contrary places older individuals at risk to living out a life in a compromised manner and in many instances causing some individuals to have to adjust to a lifestyle that just does not have to occur. Future predictions of the baby boomers monopolizing the older generation should provide hope to older people that those misguided myths about aging will dissipate. Thus, ageist attitudes will no longer be present and will yield to stereotyping that has replaced old stereotyping which historically has contributed to myths of aging successfully. Therefore, the real truth regarding aging successfully can be appropriately validated.
