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You will find that sometimes the topics in each chapter of this course will overlap. This just reinforces the interdisciplinary nature of gerontology (don't know what that is-look it up pg.2).

One can not discuss stereotypes without discussing attitudes or myths of aging. Nor can one discuss the image of aging without touching on human development and development stage theories. Watch for these interactions throughout the semester. Always read the text before completing the lecture materials. Weekly quizzes will be based on both text and lecture readings.

Stereotypes are generalized beliefs or opinions that are based on our experiences and are not necessarily accurate. Usually, they are formed because we see or experience a characteristic or behavior in someone and assign that characteristic to all persons who are like them.

This is called recency error and refers to the false assumption that all people or their behavior are just like the person's behavior you just witnessed. The recency error fails to take into account the entire evaluation of a situation, performance, or episode either positively or negatively. 

For example, if you have just seen a news article regarding an accident that was caused by a incompetent older driver, you might mistakenly think that, as a group, all older drivers are incompetent and should be taken off the road. When in fact, teens have far more traffic accidents than do people over the age of 65.

This also happens with selective perception; we often see what we want to see and ignore what we do not expect. For example, if someone believes that all older drivers are  feeble and confused they might assign that characteristic of feeble and confused to every older driver they see --no matter how well the senior may be driving.

It is important as we learn about stereotypes and theories to remember these two common pitfalls in judgment-- recency error and selective perception. 

1. Intro: Usual, Successful, and Diseased Aging
   
   As you saw last week, people age according to their individual patterns. That is, you have seen that different parts of us age at different rates and different people age at different rates. These changes can be thought of as successful aging, usual aging and impaired aging. 

Usual aging happens to everyone with time. For example, we know that if we do nothing to prevent or speed up the process, humans lose about 30% of their lung capacity as they age. (usually caused by disuse not aging)

Impaired aging refers to  disease. People might lose more than that 30% of their lung capacity as they age due to smoking or occupational hazards . 

Successful aging is the ability to postpone usual aging and prevent impaired aging by life-style choice.

For example: I find that as I age, climbing stairs makes me feel short of breath when I reach the top. This can be thought of as usual aging. It happens to all 50-year olds who do nothing to prevent it. 

Now, to prevent or postpone that shortness of breath I jog up the stairs faster every day to increase my lung capacity. I also walk, hike or do exercises to strengthen my lungs. To age successfully, I want to postpone usual aging. 

Our society mistakenly sees impaired or diseased aging and thinks of it as usual. Successful aging is rarely noted in our society. Remember, the majority of all older people are living in the community, alone or with family and friends.

2. Cultural Lag and the Image of An Aging Population (or as Mark Twain said, "it
   isn’t what we don’t know, it’s the things we know that ain’t so that are the problem")

To discuss stereotypes, we first have to look at the "lags "in our cultural attitudes regarding older adults. This lag has both psychological and physical effects . Definition of a cultural lag- when the cultural ideas  or attitudes used to regulate social life do not keep pace with other social changes http://sociology.about.com/od/C_Index/g/Cultural-Lag.htm

Example of Cultural Lag Or Who Does The Four-Year Old Belong To?

I think this television commercial will illustrate the problem of cultural lag. A few years ago, an ad aired depicting a small boy, around the age of four years or so, asking his 80-something year old grandmother to sit on the porch and drink a glass of orange juice with him.  

I had to laugh, because it is almost impossible or not very likely at best, for this 80- year-old to have a four-year old grandson. Let's do the math.

Grandma who is now 80 years old was born around 1930. Let's assume she married at age 18 or 20 (common in the late 1940's). She most likely gave birth to her first child in her 20's (which was also common in the in the 1940's) . 

Let's assume a normal pattern for that era and have that offspring married at the age 20 or so, which was also common for the 1960's. 

Today, the daughter is in her 40's. If she followed the normative pattern and gave birth at round age 25, which was the norm for the 1970's generation, today her children would be grown. In fact, a 40 something-year-old woman would be almost old enough for the four year old to be her grandchild. But our image of a grandmother is not that of a 40 year old woman. Our cultural has lagged behind the reality of what a grandmother looks like today.

Recap:                                    Date of birth                        Current Approx Age

Grandma                                     1930                                               80 something                         
Grandma's offspring                    1950                                               60something
Grandma's grandchild                  1970                                                40 something
Grandma's great-grandchild         1995                                                15 years old

So who does the four year old belong to?

Now, I am not saying that both grandmother and grandmother's offspring could not have given birth in their late 40's, or grandma's 60 something son could not have fathered a four-year old, I am just making this point-- that would not be a usual pattern for the era and thus this commercial does not depict a typical grandmother-grandchild relationship.

As a society, we do not have a good idea of what a grandmother of a four-year-old looks like. She is most likely a Baby Boomer, in her 50's, still working and hardly looking like the 80-year old in the commercial. That is a cultural lag . The lag between society's image and the reality .
Many of you suffered from cultural lag when you were younger. Ever try to get a job at 16? The image of a 16-year-old may not match the modern day person.

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This article is written by a well known Gerontologist who himself is a senior. See what he has to say about the subject.
http://www3.azwestern.edu/psy/dgershaw/lol/AgingLag.html

1. Psychological Effects of Cultural Lag

America's images of aging and growing older are far from positive. Our society is currently youth focused and gerontophobic (fear  aging).  Most of our cultural values, life-style preferences, and products reflect this youthful idea.  

For example, my husband bought me a beautiful Bulova watch last Christmas. The face of the watch is about the size of a 25-cent piece (maybe slightly larger). In the middle of that face is a spot where they tell me the date  changes daily. With my 60+ year old eyes, that feature is not detectable to me. 

I need a much larger watch, one where the numbers are larger and more visible to the older eye. The watch is beautiful and to me reflects our cultural values of what a woman's watch should look like.

 It should be dainty, small and look attractive on the wrist. It reflects our life-style preferences for beauty over functionality and our youthful product focus. Older eyes need a larger faced watch . One that can be read easily, but is not as culturally accepted as "beautiful".  And dont even get me started on high heels. How do they do that?

Society ignores the needs of an aging individual because the impression persists that growing old is a sad and negative occurrence full of losses, poverty, loneliness, sickness and impotence. Products and attitudes contribute to this.  We are led to believe that as we gradually approach our 65th birthday, our circumstances will become increasingly desolate, hard to manage and unpleasant. 

1. Where do these images come from? In part, they are perpetuated by the media's portrayal of older adults. Magazines, books, newspapers and television seldom show aging in a positive light.  A study by Hanlon, Farnsworth and Murray (1997) concluded that at least where humor is concerned the media  supports ageism and promotes stereotypes of aging.  

Look through ads in magazines and note the anti aging ads.  "Look Younger in 10 Years, Anti-Aging Quick and Simple", one hair color product's tag line is "Don't Lie About Your Age, Defy It".

 Television shows and magazines that advertise to the elderly actually use models 10-20 years younger in their ads and commercials and often are about products to treat abnormal aging (diarrhea, constipation, false teeth, or nutritional deficiencies).  Consider these cartoons. What is the image they promote about aging? Remember, our language shapes our attitudes.

                    
Your eyesight's gone                    . . but you look so natural and lifelike!

Cartoons from http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/ageism.html  check out Dr. Wolfs site for detailed information of ageism.

Check out this site on how we have 'medicalized' old age ( 'medicalized' -- thinking of aging as an illness). http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/ger-med.html

There is a powerful message in all of this media. A message that says that the elderly are not worth writing about, not interesting, beautiful or sexy; nor do they deserve products created especially for them that do not emphasize disease and illness.

2. Older people can not help but feel left out or "out of it",  not hip, or behind the times. The message comes through clearly-- You have to be young (hip, slick and cool) to be okay. 

2. Physical Affects of The Cultural Lag

Our  physical environments reflect designs and architectural plans that favor youth.  Most environments are tailored to meet the needs and physical capabilities of a youthful body.  That works for the young old, still active and engaged. But it can limit opportunities and independence for many others. For example:

Some of the more frail older adults can not ride public buses because the entrance steps are too high.  Nor can they attend public events because transportation is inadequate or inappropriate. 

Walkways are too dark, lettering on directional signs too small, and bathrooms are hazardous (toilet bowls are too low for aging hips, slippery floors create a fear of falling as eyesight diminishes, and grab bars are often absent). Dark rooms, multiple steps, and inappropriate seating are the results of a society that does not understand the needs of older adults and results in isolation.

Print on labels, bottles and signs is too small for the aging eye and rear view mirrors in cars accommodate younger eyes (most of us would benefit from a foot long rear-view mirror). Many street signs are designed for quick reflexes on freeways (exit here, with no prior warning) and appliances and telephones are designed for dexterity and younger eyes. I still can't see the delete button on my telephone message machine.

I have an aversion to ATM machines that allow three to five seconds to respond then "beep, beep, beep".  One is then prompted "DO YOU WANT MORE TIME?" leaving the feeling that they are taking too much time to complete their transaction.  If the telephone rings five times while an elderly person gets from the yard to answer it, people hang up. Five rings is too much in our youth-centered society. 

Become aware of these physical effects of the cultural lag and see how many you can spot. My senses have slowed for sure, and because of that, my reaction time is not as quick as it once was but that is not the only reason for my slowed reactions.  Another thing at work here is that I'm not in the hurry I was when I was younger. A great advantage to aging is our ability to slow down on purpose.

1. Rising crime and violence also make it difficult for some older people to go out at night, trying to function as a vital member of the community. There is no social protection for them at night in our cities. Again, resulting in isolation.
   
2. Because a growing number of older people consciously realize that we have collectively created a world in which they are not meant to fit, they internalize these negative messages and signals and, instead of being outraged, they respond with resignation, low self-esteem, depression and, in some instances suicide.
3. The suicide rate for older men is four times higher than that of the general population.  Can you guess why? Historically, because of mens larger body size and strength they were thought of as the protectors of women (I know girls I know) but like it or that is historically how it has been. Many older men still feel this social norm to protect their own.  So as they become frail this social role is challenged.

3. Myths, Stereotypes and Realities of Aging

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Definition of a  Myth: A person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence. What are some of these myths?

Myth #1  Old age sets in at age 65.

Myth #2 America has always been a youth-focused culture. 

1.  As you learned from Modernization Theory, during the early years of our nation's history, it was the elderly who were exalted and given superior status. In Colonial America, the aged were honored in all social rituals, because, according to the Puritan doctrine that was profoundly influential at the time, living to a great age was a sign of God's special favor. Spiritual worth and longevity were used as a scale to measure one's closeness to God. Remember, not many lived into old age, so to do so meant one must have special protection or powers. 
   

2. The elderly were thought to possess highly developed moral faculties. It was assumed that they possessed divine wisdom regarding the secrets of health, happiness, spiritual perfection and long life. 
   
   Before industrialization, 90% of the businesses were family owned and run, being the head was comparable to having social control (only men who owned property could vote in early America). It was not unusual for children to be grown with families of their own before any part of their parents' or grandparents' property was turned over to them. Young people of that time associated aging with a gain in the so-called good things of life. In this society, each year of life promised more, not fewer, rewards. 

Old age was so highly valued that people actually tried to appear older than they were. Fashions were designed to mimic the older body. Today, in some cultures politicians still hide their hair beneath wigs or powder it to make it white as if with age. 

Clothing was cut in ways that emphasized the postures and physiques of the elderly: the hips and waist coats were broadened and the shoulders were made to appear narrow and rounded to mimic the posture of the elderly. People tended to exaggerate their age when questioned by census takers. 

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Myth #3. Old age is a disease.

1. Although vulnerability to disease can increase with age, it is entirely possible to grow old and live one's entire life in the absence of physical disease and with traces of only the most subtle physical degenerations not appearing until the very latest years of life.
   
   We are led to believe that the elderly are mostly frail and disabled. But our nation is populated by healthy and vibrant elderly individuals who are actively living out their lives. Many run marathons, dance, swim or get involved as senior Olympiads. Many studies indicate that with proper diet and exercise the body can keep resilient, beautiful and disease free through the entire life span.

Myth #4 All old people end up in nursing homes. 

1. According to your author just 14% of elders will ever spend any time in a nursing home . For some the stay is short-term for rehabilitation.   The truth is that 80-90% of all long-term care is provided in the home by family members. But according the the US Census just over 4% end up living long-term in nursing homes.http://www.aoa.gov/Aging_Statistics/Profile/2011/docs/2011profile.pdf 

Myth #5 Old age brings feeblemindedness

1. This belief came about due to an American psychologist, George Beard, who reported his controversial findings on how aging affects the mental faculties. Studying the age at which great creative works had been accomplished, he reported that 70% of creative works had been achieved by age 45 and 80% by age 50. Using vague and highly impressionistic data, Beard concluded that as people grew old, their mental faculties deteriorated considerably. 

This misnomer is further strengthened by the fear that senility looms in everyone's future. The word senility has the same origin as the word senate. They are both Latin and mean old. The root of the word connoted wisdom and experience, but in more recent years, it has come to be associated with aging decline. 

Senile refers to a host of disorders such as confusion, forgetfulness, dizziness or lack of self-care. In reality, the term has no medical legitimacy because there are more than 100 different conditions all easily treatable that can lead to such symptoms as well as a few serious diseases that do produce mental deterioration. 

Recent research into the aging brain has begun to suggest a practical model of how the mind is affected by the aging  process. 

" . . . the old mind is like an old muscle. It must be used and challenged in order to function well. If housed within four empty walls and left to wither, the mind will atrophy, [like your arm will if left in a cast for a long period of time] roaming back into the past where it was put to good use and unable to snap back to the dreary present even when called upon to do so. But, if enclosed in an environment that challenges and stimulates, the mind not only will survive, it will grow". http://psychology.about.com/od/biopsychology/f/adult-neurogenesis.htm
 There is no reason one can not remain sharp and alert until the eve of his/her death.

The human brain is able to continually adapt and rewire itself. Even in old age, it can grow new neurons. Severe mental decline is usually caused by disease, whereas most age-related losses in memory or motor skills simply result from inactivity and a lack of mental exercise and stimulation. In other words, use it or lose it.

How would Beard explain the fact that Michelangelo, sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the Italian Renaissance was aged 71 when he was appointed the chief of architect in St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. How would he explain Humboldt's work and his great contributions to science, the KOSMOS, from ages 76 to 90, and other important works done by people in their later years? Here is a brief story about Humboldt http://geography.about.com/od/historyofgeography/a/vonhumboldt.htm

The notion that most poets (and other creative people) dry up at 50 is quickly refuted by a glance at the relatively recent past. Many of the famous boomer musicians are now over 70 and still performing (ie Mick Jaggar and Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney).  William Butler Yeats published Last Poems and Two Plays at age 73, in the year he died. Playwright George Bernard Shaw won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925 at the age of 69 and was at work on a new play when he died at 94. Poet Maya Angelou, born in 1928, is writing at her ripe—not at all dried up-age. 

Myth #6 All old people are similar to each other. 

1. If you consider the current elevation in life expectancy, old age can span 57 years (subtract age 65 from age 122,  the oldest  documented  human life-span). From this view, it makes no  sense to talk about older people as though they are all the same.  
   

Look at the differences from someone age 20 to age 77, a 57 year span, or someone aged 50 to aged 107, another 57 year span. Each of these categories is very different in activity, needs, goals, and physical stamina. 

1. Stereotyping older adults into one category can actually make people uncomfortable about growing older. It suggests that the diversity and individualism we all cherish so much must come to an end. Diversity among America's elderly is great. Some older people are terribly sick and waiting to die, others are vigorous and are training to run marathons. 
   
   Some are very poor and depend entirely on government support for food and shelter, others have vast fortunes and assets and travel the world first-class. Some serve on boards of directors of large multinational businesses where others wait in breadlines for a warm meal. 

Although some elderly have rigid and conservative life styles, others are extremely radical and live freer and more experimental lives. Some feel finished with work and enjoy retirement, others love working and hope to continue at their jobs. 

3. To better understand the diversity of old people, scientists analyze the aged population in terms of three population segments of senescence (which means growing old or aging).

Young old - aged 65 to 75 (the lower limits of this group is actually about age 55, because in recent years, more and more people are choosing to retire younger). The upper age limit is 75, because at present this age more closely fits the cultural images of what an elderly person is than the current younger standards of age 65. For example, if we were to take a poll and ask people their description of  the average 65 year old, their description would more closely match that of the typical 75-year old (another example of cultural lag).

Middle-Old - are those whose life experiences and age correspond to the period of life we might call late middle essence. Spanning the years between 75 and 90, this age group is the fastest growing segment of the population. They are multiplying at nearly three times the rate of the overall population. In this stage older people begin to move closer to family and services.

Old Old - demographers talk of a period of life called senescence which comprises those people over the age of 90. This age group is expanding at nearly eight times the rate of the total population. Once over the age of 85, one needs more help with activities of daily living.

4. American elders have a greater diversity in how they behave, what they look and feel like, what they do for a living, how they perceive retirement, and in how they wish to be treated; even more than their younger counterparts. 

Myth #7 All old people are poor and powerless.

1. In the past 50 years, the power and clout of America's elderly have steadily increased so that they  are now a population mass with which to be reckoned. Some experts say that there won't be anybody as powerful as the organized elderly in just a few short years when more of the Boomers become retirement age. Some say because they were protesters in their youth, they will continue to protest in their old age. 
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Older Americans have played an increasingly active role in securing other aspects of their well-being. They have encouraged political and human service groups to assist them in meeting their needs.  Their milestones have included:

1. The First National Conference on Aging supported by the Federal Security Agency in 1950.
   
2. Establishment of a  Federal Office of Aging and an interdepartmental committee that later became the Federal Council on Aging in 1973.
   
3. The development of the White House Conference on Aging held each 10 years. 
   
4. Passage of the Older American's Act, which established a purpose, structure, and funding mechanism for the Administration on Aging to coordinate programs for older people's income, housing, legal, health and social needs. (CHECK WEEK ONE HANDOUTS FOR THE AGING NETWORK THIS ACT SET UP).
   
5. Legislation passed in 1967 which eliminated discrimination in employment for people between ages 40 and 65.
   
6. Indexing of Social Security benefits to inflation. This means that when inflation goes up, Social Security payments to retirees increase also. 
   
7. Supplement Security program for the aged which provides minimum income for the poor. 
   
8. Federal legislation which banned mandatory retirement for most workers under age 70.

Because elders have demanded better mental, physical and social health care, the field of aging, along with research work with the aged, has greatly expanded. 

Although slow to respond to the needs of an aging America, the medical specialty of geriatrics is beginning to provide medical care targeted at older people and their special medical problems. 

Myth#8 Tomorrow's elderly will be very similar to today's older people

1. Each generation of Americans grows healthier, better educated, more politically savvy, more accustomed to life-style change, more mobile, more youthful in appearance, more comfortable with technology and more outspoken. 

For example: Today's elderly have less formal education than any younger group. Nearly 70% have a 7th grade education or less, 20% are functionally illiterate, and 7% have had no formal education at all. 

In contrast, the generation of Americans currently between the ages of 55 and 65 are highly educated. Nearly 50% have been to college, and 25% have college degrees. Only 20% of the population attended college 40 years ago. The percentage of high school graduates over age of  65 increased form 29% in 1970 to more than 70% in 2010.

2. Today's and tomorrow's elderly will have traveled to more places, read more books and magazines and met more people, lived through more world changes,  experienced more sexual and life-style experimentation, and will have lived longer than any previous cohorts in the history of the world. 
   
   Look at this link- We Were Born 

The world is changing so fast that each successive generation is in some ways light years different from the ones that came before. In the past 60 years we have entered the atomic age, the space age, the computer age, life expectancy has increased by more than 35 years, and  global population has more than doubled. 

As America ages our internal images and expectations will have to change and shift to reflect this transformation of the world. 

Myth #9 All old people are wise. 

1. This is an example of a positive stereotype. What's wrong with positive stereotypes?
   

   They are not realistic and create expectations we can not meet. This can leave older people feeling like failures in old age. Some who have done the emotional footwork in life do arrive at old age much wiser. But many may not be wise.

All of these myths hide the actual truth about the later years of life and undermine our image and expectations of people who potentially have more years of vigor and health. For the elderly status and the health of aged Americans to rise, we must identify and dissolve these myths.

D. How do we do this?

1. The women's movement first used the power of language to facilitate change. Language shapes our attitudes. First our language changes then our attitude. Talk positively about aging and dispel myths with accurate information (i.e. only 3-5% live in nursing homes). Cite your work on your assignments to be sure your information is accurate and not  an unfounded stereotype.
   
2. Emphasize people who have made contributions in later life. Like John Glenn and Jessica Tandy, Maya Angelou, Betty White, and so many others.
   
3. Focus on and look for people who are currently productive. Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Dob Dyllan, Hillary Clinton.
   
4. Dispel the myth that old age brings feeblemindedness. Intelligence does not decrease with age. Later in this course you will see that  our working memory (fluid memory) becomes slower but  crystallized intelligence or long-term memory can be just as good or actually increase with use.
   
5. We must change our attitudes. If we see aging as positive, older adults  will feel more positive about the process and have a more positive and healthful experience. And you won't fear aging.
   
6. Increase educational courses regarding the normal process of aging and require aging knowledge (a certificate or degree in gerontology) as a prerequisite to work in the field of aging.

   When service providers hold stereotypes and prejudices about the elderly, they build these beliefs into the programs they develop. This creates programming that does not meet the needs of the elderly and wastes precious or scarce public funds. 

   The advantage of educated service providers is that education in gerontology can dispel commonly held misconceptions about the elderly, reasons for their behavior become clearer, and research shows that educated service providers provide more effective, efficient and economical programs in more humane ways. 

E. We Must All Work to Dispel Stereotypes:

1. Stereotypes lead to ageism, societal segregation, decreased communication, increased crime, a waste of public funds as programs incorporate stereotypes into their programs and miss providing for the needs of older adults. They stifle our potential, decrease our health and increase our own fears of aging. Part of successful aging is the ability to overcome these stereotypes.

That ends this week's lecture. Be sure to check the Assignment link for this week's web assignment and discussion topic. If you want credit for your responses, be sure to  post your own assignment and two replies   on two separate days. It does not matter how you mix it up. For example, you may post your assignment one day and two responses another, or your assignment and one response one day and one response on a different day. Questions? I'm just a click away.

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