Olympic swimmer Dara Torres made headlines when, at age 41, she won a spot on the U.S. Olympic swim team for the 2008 Beijing games, making her the only five-time Olympic swimmer in history. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Torres' coach, Michael Lohberg, said of the champion swimmer's latest accomplishment: "The idea was to do something that hasn't been done before — getting an old lady on the Olympic team."
Most of us wouldn't consider a woman of 41 to be old, but having beaten a 25-year-old for her spot on this year's team, Torres is challenging stereotypes about aging and showing that people of all ages are capable of making great strides. Other Americans are also striving for success later in life, but many struggle regularly with varying degrees of ageism.
What Is Ageism?
Ageism refers to a basic denial of older people's human rights. The term was coined in 1968 by Robert N. Butler, M.D., a gerontologist, psychiatrist, and Pulitzer Prize–winning author. He later became the founding director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and he currently heads the International Longevity Center USA (ILC). Butler is also Everyday Health's senior health specialist.
According to the ILC's 2006 report, "Ageism in America," older Americans experience "widespread mistreatment, ranging from stereotypic and degrading media images to physical and financial abuse, unequal treatment in the workforce, and denial of appropriate medical care and services."
Ageism in the Workplace
Congress passed the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in 1967, making job discrimination the most widely recognized form of ageism. And although many battles have been waged, four decades later older adults still report age-based challenges regarding their employment.
Ageism and Emotional Well-being
Like racism or sexism, ageism has a myriad of negative effects on emotional well-being. Age-based discrimination can decrease one's self-esteem; it can cause feelings of stress, anxiety, guilt, shame, or helplessness. Others may also be quick to accept stereotypes about aging, thus compounding these effects. In a recent blog interview with former television and radio producer Ronni Bennett, founder of the blog "Time Goes By" (timegoesby.net), Dr. Butler explained, "When [the] future is removed, as in the case of old age, it builds dissatisfaction, disappointment, and depression." Butler encourages older adults to adhere to a life based on hope and positive expectations for the future.
Coping With Longer Life Spans
Today the United States — and particularly the outsize baby boomer generation — is growing older and living longer. By 2030, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the number of Americans age 65 and older will more than double, to make up roughly 20 percent of the population. While this will pose new challenges for us as a society, it's encouraging to note that new thinking is already emerging about the important matters of ageism and emotional well-being.
- Older people are becoming more active in response to elder issues. Lynn Peters Adler, the founder and director of the National Centenarian Awareness Project (adlercentenarians.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing role models for positive aging, says of her generation, "We, the leading-edge [baby] boomers, are experienced in taking on social concerns and righting social wrongs. We started doing so in the 1960s, and as we enter our sixties in record numbers, we are not going to ignore this moral imperative."
- Americans are starting to work longer. An ailing economy, limited pension plans, and dwindling social security benefits are motivating people to stay in the workforce longer. Butler considers this a positive development. In his new book, The Longevity Revolution, he supports continuing employment through such approaches as more shared work, flextime, and phased retirement. Butler himself is a working octogenarian.
- Seniors are blogging about their experiences. Ronni Bennett, founder of the blog "Time Goes By" (timegoesby.net), writes about "what it's really like to get older." Initially, she started writing in response to the widespread message that "aging is all and only about disease, decline, and debility." Now she finds the subject of aging "fascinating and mysterious." In addition to her own posts, Bennett lists a blog roll of about 300 "elder blogs," all maintained by people age 50 or older. A new memorial section was inspired by the late Olive Riley, an Australian blogger, who, until recently, still maintained her blog, "Life of Riley" (allaboutolive.com.au), at age 108.
- Retirees are joining the Peace Corps. Older Americans are seeing the world by volunteering in places as far-flung as Botswana and the Kyrgyz Republic. The Peace Corps boasts that 5 percent of its 7,500 volunteers are over age 50 and that "many older volunteers find their age to be an asset, as people of developing nations respect and appreciate the decades of wisdom older volunteers bring to their communities."
Learn more in the Everyday Health Longevity Center.