Title: Elderly stereotypes - Applied Social Psychology
Headings: Elderly stereotypes
Elderly stereotypes
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Content: Elderly stereotypes - Applied Social Psychology
Elderly stereotypes
By JUDY ANN BRAGUE DEACON on October 21, 2011 11:52 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks
In the United States, 18.5% of the population is over the age of 60 (U.S. Census, 2010). I live in a county that has a higher percentage of senior citizens, 22% (U.S. Census, 2010). In addition to my older family members, I have had the opportunity to work with our county's senior population in varying capacities. I have worked with them and for them. I have provided services (social support, emergency) to them, advocated for them, and trained and educated them. I have found this population to be engaging, helpful, wise, and quite active. Society however, has tended to overlook, undervalue, and stereotype the elderly. The stereotype is often based on myths and assumptions. Seniors are often thought of as unproductive, alienated, and ineffectual. Parsons  (1993) notes that society views the aged as an "increasing burden on society because they are unproductive, increasingly frail, and vulnerable with their decreasing ability to perform activities of daily living, and frequently poor mobility".