The term ageism refers to the way we think, feel and act towards other people, or towards ourselves, based on age. It was coined in the 60s in the US, but was not incorporated into the Spanish dictionary until 2022. «It is a … phenomenon that has been becoming aware of in recent years, despite the fact that there is evidence of it in ancient Greece or even ancient Egypt. “Aristotle himself already reflected a vision of old age as a stage in which people are useless, selfish, stingy…,” he said. Vânia de la Fuente-Núñezmedical anthropologist and international expert in healthy aging, during the debate ‘Let’s talk about…’, held under the title ‘Ageism and Older People: How to address it to create a world for all ages’from the “la Caixa” Foundation’s Senior Citizens program in collaboration with ABC.
This specialist, with more than a decade of work at the World Health Organization (WHO) as head of the World Campaign against Ageism, assured that this concept “is socially accepted, but it has very harmful effectsyes». He noted that it is associated with earlier death. «Research in the US has shown that people with positive perceptions about aging live on average 7.5 years longer than those with negative perceptions. It also affects greater functional deterioration, presence of chronic disorders, greater hospitalizations, worse recovery… Likewise, it has an impact on mental health. In fact, nearly 6 million cases of depression could be attributable to ageism, which also accelerates cognitive decline, increasing isolation and unwanted loneliness in old age. Ageism, without a doubt, is a public health problem.
Despite everything, this expert pointed out that in Spain, 60% of the population considers that it is not a serious problem, when the evidence indicates the opposite. «Greater efforts are needed so that society be aware of the damage what he is doing to us and how installed he is.
María Eugenia Gorostizaa retired mathematics professor, assured in the debate that she has not suffered this phenomenon from a professional point of view “because she is a civil servant”, but she has seen it in people close to her and regretted that there is no education on the subject from early ages. «I have worked in schools, institutes, universities and I have not seen any training activities to improve relationships with grandparents, visits to senior centers, initiatives to share how students value this stage of life, etc. I once proposed that they be included in the school curriculum activities such as tutoring, visits, writing… so as not to depend only on the will of a person who is aware of the subject.
De la Fuente-Núñez agreed that there are very good initiatives from passionate people, with a great will to change things, but without formal support. He insisted that “from four years old We already internalize stereotypes about age and use them to guide our relationships with others, but also with ourselves. “If we do not address this issue from a young age, a great opportunity is lost.”
He explained that there is an added problem that is ageism inflicted, «the one that we end up directing towards ourselves by internalizing all the stereotypes learned from the age of 4 and to which we have been exposed throughout our lives. There is a very harmful one that assimilates old age to illness, which means that if I reach this stage I do not make an effort to be well, which greatly impacts my health. That is, it makes us sick.”
María Eugenia Gorostiza highlighted that this has a lot to do with how life is assumed when retirement arrives. «If it is accepted that it is the end of life, it will go badly, because that person will refuse to communicate with others, to participate in activities… because lacks that drive that doctors, geriatricians and even families themselves should also make an effort to give so that the elderly do not lose contact with society. There are advertisements on television against smoking, to prevent traffic accidents…, but I have not seen any institutional campaign in favor of the elderly, to convince them to lead an active life, limited only by the illness, but not by the age. I have fought for that a lot, and I am still doing it.
Alfredo Payá, retired doctor, agreed when he pointed out in his turn to speak that ageism “comes in our DNA because it has been instilled in us since we were little” and confessed that he is also concerned what young people suffer “because sometimes they cannot recover well from certain situations, even if they have many more years to do so or more resources, because, for example, they can be block entry to jobs by age, which is a very serious problem for society. I couldn’t say which is worse, ageism towards the elderly or the young. “Both create very unfair disadvantages.”
Vânia de la Fuente-Núñez added that there is not much data about the impact on the young population because it has hardly been investigated. “The truth is When we are middle-aged, a plan is designed about the studies to choose, admission to university… we perceive a life full of opportunities. However, we avoid thinking about old age until there is no choice but to have it at our doors, which prevents us from projecting ourselves and generating a plan for this stage. And it is not done because there are many stigmas of old age. Self-inflicted ageism It is a reflection of ageism in society and in institutions that discriminate by age.
For this reason, and to create a world for all ages, this expert considered that it is essential to work in three lines. «The first refers to the policies and laws to that prohibit discrimination by age and protect our rights regardless of how old we are. In Spain, for example, a law for equal treatment and non-discrimination was approved in 2022 which, for the first time in the Spanish legal system, gives greater importance to age discrimination. It is the first time, but it is not being applied well because the creation of an independent authority to ensure compliance with the law is being ignored. A United Nations Convention for the protection of the rights of older persons would also be needed – he continues –. This has been raised since 2010.
Secondly, it is considered essential generate educational activities to dispel misconceptions about aging, such as role-playing games that can be implemented throughout the entire training cycle, or through initiatives such as this ‘Let’s talk about…’ debate.
Finally, I point out that it would be necessary to design intergenerational initiatives that unite people of different ages with common interests. “There are multiple formulas that we know work,” he added.
At the close of the debate, De la Fuente-Núñez was optimistic when considering that ending ageism “just as great progress has been made in women’s equality, and although there is still a lot of work to do, we will also achieve it as soon as at the age of. Above all, I trust a lot in the generation that is going to retire now, since they have fought for rights in many areas and I don’t think she’s going to stay silent.».