This document discusses various forms of institutional ageism, including higher standards for poverty assistance for youth, myths about aging, and consequences of ageism. It notes that elderly individuals commonly respond to ageism through acceptance, denial, avoidance, or reform. The text highlights several issues: between 1-3 million elderly face abuse annually but only a small percentage is reported; lack of preventive healthcare and research for older adults; most nursing homes fail to meet standards; and ageism exists in emergency services, the workplace, and media which portrays few older characters.

2. Institutional Ageism
 Higher federal poverty standards
 Job training for young workers
 State welfare funds for children & adolescents
 Health care system focus on acute care

3. Myths about aging
1. The majority of older adults will become senile
(defective memory, disoriented, demented) during
old age.
2. Most older adults have no desire or capacity for
sexual relations. In other words, most older adults
are asexual.
3. Most older adults have difficulty adapting to change;
they are set in their ways.

4. Myths about aging
4. The majority of older adults say that they are lonely
5. Older people tend to become more religious as they
age; as they deal with their own mortality

5. Consequences
• Elderly are expected to be:
– Asexual
– Intellectually rigid
– Unproductive
– Forgetful
– Happy
– Enjoying retirement
– Invisible
– Passive
– Uncomplaining

6. Response to Ageism
 Elderly individuals commonly respond in 4 ways:
 Acceptance
 Denial
 Avoidance
 Reform
Palmore (1990)

7. Elder Abuse
 Between 1 and 3 million Americans aged 65+ have
been mistreated by a caregiver
 1 out of 6 incidents of abuse is reported
 Only 21 states maintain an elder abuse registry
 5 million older Americans are victims of financial
exploitation each year
Ageism in America: The Status Reports (2006)

8. Ageism in Health Care
 Lack of preventive care
 Lack of effective treatment provision
 Lack of adequate health research
 Lack of training

9. Ageism in Nursing Homes
 9 out of 10 nursing homes are inadequately staffed
 Over half of the 17,000 nursing homes in the US fail to
meet minimum standards, but only .5% are cited and
penalized for patterns of widespread problems that
cause harm to residents

10. Ageism in Emergency Services
 60% of Hurricane Katrina’s victims were over age 60
 About 80% of the individuals who die of heat-wave
related hyperthermia each year are over age 50

11. Ageism in the Workplace
 2004 EEOC ruling
 To improve job prospects, 63% of applicants say they
would leave dates off their resume to hide their age,
and 18% say they would undergo cosmetic surgery

12. Ageism in the Media
 Less than 2% of prime-time television characters are
age 65 or older
 Ageist Gender Inequality
 11% of male characters on tv between 50 and 64 are
categorized as “old” verses 22% of female characters
 Only 1/3 of older characters on prime time tv are women