How is ageism manifest socially? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Like so many things involving discrimination, you may not even be aware you’re making judgments about someone based on their age and your own stereotypes about older people, in what’s called ageism. Colleen Christmas, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins, says ageism impacts health.

Christmas: Definitions of ageism, here is a standardly accepted definition: discrimination against older people due to negative and inaccurate stereotypes. According to the World Health Organization this is the most pervasive and socially acceptable form of discrimination. In fact industry wants us not to like aging, when we do advertise targeting older adults its all fear based, you do not want to age, you do not want to have wrinkles.    :27

Christmas says because ageism forms the background of interactions with older people it is found everywhere and doesn’t often come to anyone’s attention, which makes it very difficult to eradicate. Yet it’s impact on the health of individuals and society is clear, so efforts must be made. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.