BC Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt wants residents to share their experiences and perceptions on ageism to better understand how it impacts seniors living in our province through an online survey.
Levitt outlines some of the more obvious and hurtful forms of ageism our seniors face quite regularly.
“When you think about jokes or insults that are made towards older people or maybe older people have decisions made for them without consulting them. There are stereotypes that we might see in movies or in media like television where they are not valuable or unattractive and we might even see it in the way of abuse they receive such as fraud or may even be denied care.”
“Ageism often frames older people as being in a state of decline, being frail, being dependent rather than really celebrating the life experience and their knowledge and continued potential. It is really important to recognize how seniors add value to society such as volunteering.”
Levitt noted while seniors are often the brunt of age-related jokes and insults, it’s not just a one demographic problem.
“Unfortunately, younger workers experience more ageism than older workers. There is a whole movement in the workplace called EDI – equity, diversity and, inclusion and the conversation really needs to include older people.”
“You think about the age discrimination people are facing in the workplace and it could translate into older workers not being hired or advanced because people think those stereotypes are actually true where people can’t learn new things or understand technology.”
The survey is available until December 13th.
A link can be found here.
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