Compassionate ageism

Ageism refers to discrimination of older people based on stereotypes and prejudices about their age group. In our cultural narratives about old age, stereotypes of older people as frail, dependent, unattractive, voiceless or needy are abundantly present. People internalise these stereotypes from a very early age, and they will affect the way older people are treated in diverse social settings, such as the labour market or the healthcare system. The result is that older people are seen as ‘the Other’, deviating from the ‘norm’ of the healthy, self-reliant and capable adult, and are therefore not taken equally seriously.

 
While some ageist stereotypes are explicitly malignant and harmful, compassionate ageism refers to a more subtle type of ageist stereotype that perceives older people as fragile, needy and poor, and therefore deserving of help and special social policies because it is assumed they are no longer self-reliant. Although the intentions behind compassionate ageism are often benign, the result is that older people feel belittled and patronised. Their legitimate concerns are not taken into account, and their voice is not taken seriously or even properly heard. Therefore, the unwanted result of the social policies and care provision based on compassionate ageist stereotypes is that older people feel disempowered rather than helped.

 
If it is your (internalised) belief that older persons are not capable of making decisions for themselves, you are more likely to make decisions for them or go over their head and communicate just with their caregivers. “Elderspeak”, where older people are addressed in a kindly intentioned but (potentially) condescending manner, is also a good example of compassionate ageism. Speaking to older people in a childish, slower or louder way under the assumption that they are cognitively and/or physically frail can come across as very demeaning.

 
If social and healthcare professionals want to understand what it means for people to grow old and what their actual needs are, they need to become aware of the ageist stereotypes they may have internalised and reflect on their own bias and prejudice in this regard. As relational healthcare practitioners, they need to learn to practice the virtues of empathic listening and open-mindedness to be better able to address their older patients’ actual needs.