One of the running gags among aging Baby Boomers is some twist on "50 is the new 40." I have no idea if this thinking is unique to my generation, but there is a good deal of truth in the axiom. We are living longer, so it's logical that someone 50 today with a life expectancy of 80 is "younger" than when my parents were 50. But there are inherent stereotypes associated with age that hold back progress. (The phrase "don’t trust anyone over 30” was coined during The Free Speech Movementat U.C. Berkeley in 1964.)
The World Health Organization has identified these:
- Older people are "past their sell-by date"
- Older people are helpless
- Older people will eventually become senile
- Older women have less value than younger women
- Older people don't deserve health care
The WHO concludes: It is not age that limits the health and participation of older people. Rather, it is individual and societal misconceptions, discrimination and abuse that prevent active and dignified ageing.
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Workplace observations that may interest only me
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