Aging, Ageism and Life

What is Old Age (Political definition)

Defined by program eligibility, such as qualifying for Medicare or Social Security benefits

What is Old Age (Physical definition)

Defined by increasing chronic disease, worse physical function, and visible changes like wrinkles and gray hair

What is Old Age (Social definition)

Defined by social role transitions such as retirement, grandparenthood, and widowhood

What does perceived age predict?

Survival among people aged 70+, even after adjusting for chronological age, sex, and biomarkers of aging (Christensen et al., BMJ 2009)

What is Ageism?

Systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people because they are old

Who coined the term Ageism and when?

Robert Butler in 1969

According to Butler, what does ageism reflect?

A deep-seated uneasiness among younger people — a personal revulsion toward growing old, disease, disability, and fear of powerlessness and death

How does ageism manifest in employment?

Older workers are passed over for hiring, promotions, and raises; their suggestions are ignored; they are downsized first; and they find it difficult to change jobs

What did Neumark, Burn & Button (2016) find about age discrimination?

Field experiments showed that job applicant callback rates were consistently lower for workers aged 64-66 compared to younger age groups across multiple job types

How does ageism manifest in health care?

Older persons may be underdiagnosed, over- or under-medicated, refused treatment, pressured to invoke DNR orders, and excluded from decisions about their own care

What is the Age Discrimination Act of 1975?

A national law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of age in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance; does not cover actions that reasonably take age into account for normal program operation

What is the cycle of induced dependence?

A cycle where negative societal perceptions of older people lead to loss of financial independence, vulnerability, internalization of dependent labels, and atrophy of skills — reinforcing the original negative perceptions

What is an Aging Society?

A demographic transformation in which a population includes more older persons both numerically and proportionately

How do absolute numbers of older people matter?

They affect the amount of resources needed, such as hospital beds, nursing home places, and retirement benefits

How does relative size of the older population matter?

It affects dependency ratios, aging of the labor force, and the future of social security

What is the Baby Boom and why does it matter demographically?

A large cohort born approximately 1946–1964; as this cohort ages, it dramatically shifts the age structure of the US population through 2040

What percentage of adults 65+ live in nursing homes (2015)?

2.6%

What percentage of adults 65+ live in the community (2015)?

87.3%

What are the two types of aging?

Chronological aging (years since birth) and stages-of-life aging (roles and activities associated with different ages)

What is the Life Course Framework?

A framework that emphasizes patterns of change across individuals' lives and how those patterns are shaped by broader social structure and historical time; it is an alternative to developmental perspectives that assume universal patterns

What does the Life Course Framework incorporate?

Understanding of the timing and sequencing of life events into life trajectories

What is Cumulative Advantage and Disadvantage?

A theory that benefits or injuries accumulate as we pass through life; initial conditions establish a trajectory but resilience is possible; variation between individuals increases with age as unique experiences accumulate

What is the "Age as Leveler" hypothesis?

The idea that SES-based health disparities are reduced at older ages due to successful adaptation to aging, common biological changes dominating, and protective policies like Medicare and Social Security

What is the Critical Periods hypothesis?

The idea that certain key junctures in the life course are periods when exposures have the greatest impact on long-term health outcomes

What is the Barker Hypothesis?

The hypothesis that the nine months in utero are among the most critical in a person's life, during which the fetus is "programmed" for its future environment; under-nutrition in utero is associated with metabolic diseases in later life

What is Selection and late-life health disparities?

The process by which the least robust individuals are "picked off" by early mortality, leaving the healthiest survivors at older ages — this reduces observed health disparities among the elderly

What forces simultaneously shape late-life health disparities?

Cumulative advantage/disadvantage (increases variation), selection (reduces disparities via early mortality), age as leveler (biology equalizes), and critical periods (early exposures matter)

What is the difference between the Life Course Framework and developmental perspectives?

Developmental perspectives assume universal, biologically-driven aging patterns; the Life Course Framework recognizes that aging is shaped by social structure, historical context, and the timing/sequencing of individual life events

What causes of death dominate at older ages (US 2005-2014)?

Circulatory disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and mental disorders become dominant at older ages, replacing external causes and congenital conditions that dominate early in life

How does ageism intersect with other social divisions?

Ageism intersects with race and gender to create increased vulnerability, compounding existing inequalities