Was anyone else pleased to hear the media called out yesterday by the Royal Society for Public Health, over its general negativity towards the elderly? I guess quite a of us of a certain age are all too well aware that ageism is rampant in UK, having probably been on the receiving end.
The terms 'bed blockers' and 'ageing society', are bandied around by all, even, and sometimes especially, by our own BBC, creating negativity and hostility towards the elderly by the young. It is doubly difficult to be elderly yourself and coping with caring for others with all same health challenges and more.
It's high time that ageism was grouped with racism and many other 'isms' as being socially unacceptable.
I'll never forget first arriving back in UK to live after 20 years abroad and finding I'd suddenly seemingly become invisible, from the moment I stepped off the plane. When not completely ignored, I have to fight the patronizing attitude of GPs, government departments and health services as well as the scorn of the young. I'd come from a society where the elderly are respected for their wisdom and helped in their daily lives by family, friends and strangers.
One thing sets ageism apart though. Everyone's going there, and long after I'm pushing up daisies, some of those who have disrespected me, are probably going to have to have a dose of the same medicine, because unless someone starts to take this form of discrimination seriously, ageism is going to flourish as much as it has done in times past.
I really agree with you. I worked in a hospital and this attitude was prevalent throughout seeing the older person as a problem rather than the system that is failing.
We haven't had this problem. Our GP is wonderful, the hospitals have treated us with the utmost respect and my husband has had amazing treatment for his cancer and related issues, no different from someone younger. My mother is 101 and had a cataract operation last year, and everyone treated us all extremely well.
Haven't read my Guardian yet! And I soooo agree it should be up there with racism!
Think there is a lot of it around the world! We have a government who are trying to improve that record here.
But we have poorly maintained, mouldy, leaking hospital buildings, not enough nurses or doctors because wages are not high enough, shortage of housing, etc. It seems mirrored in your part of the world!
We have a fairly new hospital here but every time I go now, I watch older people like me driving up and down looking for parking space in order to attend a short appointment. In no more than 5 years the parking and bed space is not enough!
I live in a house far too big for me and hope to move out in next 6 months, yet developers are allowed to buy large old places like mine and bowl it and build 4 or more multi-units instead of one. All at a cost those who need a house cannot afford. The past 20 years or so has seen vast palaces built on small or large plots and now no one can easily afford to buy them out, and they are no use for low income house hunters!
We have all got to stick together and fight for our rights! Boy! I have never fought more and campaigned and submitted so much in my whole life! But now I want to enjoy my old age, so I need my comforts, etc. Do I have to get on my high horse again?
Note to self. Don't forget the Zimmer frame and hard hat! Oh and the cushion in case I have to lie down for the cause!
I fear you are right. I spent Monday afternoon taking an old friend in both senses to a hospital appointment. She clearly has all her marbles and then some but I couldn't help overhearing how many times she had to repeat one of her symptoms before she could get them to take it on board. Each time the response was "Oh dear me is that right?" followed by a question which completely ignored what she had said.
Mind you I am still being told by people that they do not use computers because they get their son/daughter to do it emails for them, if they need them. If they need them indeed! They are not doing the rest of us old biddies any favours by not keeping up with the world are they?
I completely agree about the technology angle and it's a pity that some older people fear that it's too difficult to learn to use it. I applauded Barclays Bank for the campaign they ran to help more oldsters get online (even though I know it had its commercial reasons. And in the same breath closed down many High Street branches of its bank, making banking for older people that much more difficult.)
Even young people suffer ageism when it comes to chronic conditions and benefits that I have found to my cost on previous occasions.
I think it is media led, a bit like the younger ones whatever name they want to give them you know the younger ones who some how think they should have everything and if they don't it's all the fault of the baby-boomer's.
Er hello our parent's were encouraged to have babies, not us.
Like our parents the vast majority left school at 15yrs of age, some younger and then some older. Out to work and pay our taxes and NI, if you wanted to buy a house you scrimped and saved hard. Setting up home meant second hand or going without until you could afford it. Not buying a house and have everything brand new from the start. Women in a certain era hand to stay at home and raise children once they came along, or were thought to be unloving mothers if they dared to work more than part time. Thats if they could find an employer to take them on full time in the first place.
No one is entitled to anything except good health and hopefully a fairly descent education.
The media are poo stirring to say the least. Hospitals struggling in the winter, what do they show? footage of geriatric's in tartan slipper's shuffling around and zimer frames.
Why don't they show A&E on a week-end with all the younger one with sports injuries, drunk and generally being a wimp with a cut finger or cut lip from fighting. Being rude to staff and a complete pain to other's who are there through no fault of their own.
Yes the media has a lot to answer for in being ageist but then the media is mainly run by the younger ones who think they know everything and have a right to everything. Forgetting those older than them worked from an earlier age, paid tax longer and paid N.I. Basically they forget that the older person has paid for the schooling except uni., and paid for the health care of the younger generation.
Sorry, rant over.
x
Hi Boudica1. No, please rant on. It very much needs airing. The young are allowed to be as angry as thy like, whilst we are supposed to put-up and shut-up.
If they recover from their slit lip, sprained ankle and cold's they will get to be of the older generation. I wonder how they will feel then, put up and shut up?
I very much doubt it somehow.
Who will they blame then? Because most of us will be gone, maybe they will blame the younger ones for being selfish, self serving me me me me's
Try being my age !- I was born in 1938 and had a photo of 2 year old me eating the last ice cream to be had until after the war.I remember sweets coming off the ration when I was about 9 nd going to the loal shop and not knowing what to choose..
When my husband and I bought our first house after five years of saving every penny it was luxury because it had hot air central heating on the ground floor -. None upstairs of course. We were so happy with it Our second house had one radiator which was warmed by the back boiler from the coal fire.
Kitchens had a sink with a draining board and a built in cupbooaard underneath, one cupboard on the wall both in unpainted plywoodand, bare boards on the floor and a double electic socket and cooker point that was enough for the kettle and the iron and that was all we had. Remember?
Washing machine, when we had saved up for it was a Goblin. A tub which heated the water (wow) with a paddle in the bottom which whooshed the washing backwards and forward until you decided it had had enoughnd then you did not have to lift it into a bucket with wooden tongs and tip it into the sink to wring it out by hand.(that was good for the pecs) but this one actually had an electric mangle mounted on the machine so you could feed the washing straight through it (wow). If the water was not too bad you re-used it until you ended up with the woollens in cool water followed by the floor cloths.. Who says the world is going to the dogs? Been doing that for 2 thousand years and it hasnt got there yet
Did I mention the car? No of course not there was no question of owning a house AND a car or holidays or meals out.
Lol, I was born in 1938 also and remember single glazing and the windows being frozen on the inside during winter, not to mention the portable electric fires and death trap paraffin heaters.
Ah well, the same generation that call us coffin dodgers must be the one that we call 'The snowflake Generation.
I was born a little later, (in 1948), but I remember all of those things which FredaM and yourself mention. Last week, on a trip with my sister, we were recalling rag rugs, made at home by knotting strips of old fabric through a hessian sack backing. They were the only rugs we had, on lino floors.
I'm actually glad that young people don't have to suffer ice on the inside of windows any more, or have to top up blankets with old army greatcoats, (for example), as I had to, but I do really wonder how they will all get on in any sort of major crisis. Maybe they will all surprise us after all. Quite rightly FredaM points out that people have been predicting the world 'going to the dogs' for just about ever, and somehow it keeps on turning.
I just wish that old and young could get along better and that the media wouldn't disrespect us oldies, quite as much as it does.
Many of us are doing the toughest job going... that of completely taking responsibility for the welfare of someone else, even whilst coping with their own challenges, and perhaps the media could concentrate on that, instead. Particularly this coming week which is, after all, Carers' Week.
Sorry I am back againI was going to say that us old biddies have a battle on our hands to conince the world that we are worth having. The first things is never moan - except on plaes like this
Lol! Well said FredaE. You're absolutely right that general moaning doesn't help our cause at all, and thank goodness we have this forum for a good old rant among people who all understand each other. Have a great day!
It was my 80th in May. I go Nordic walking every week and have done for the last 6 years.
My walking group very kindly decided they would take me out to lunch to celebrate .I thanked them for spoiling me and said I thought they regarded me as a sort of mascot because if I can still do an hours brisk walk at my age then they have all got another thirty years walking left in them so they don't need to worry.
Not all ageism.
Nordic wallking is brilliant -it takes a lot of the weight off knees and hips and puts in on shoulders, arms and upper back
Totally agree FredaE and so glad you had a great birthday lunch with your group.
There are opportunities to mix with younger people. I do it myself at my Scottish Country Dance group, most weeks. What I most object to is media driving a wedge between the generations by reporting on us negatively so often.
I can imagine that Nordic walking is great exercise. I've never tried it but used to love Nordic skiing and the support that the poles must give you in walking means that you can carry on enjoying its benefits for so much longer. And not only the physical exercise but by being in a group of like-minded people too. Great for well-being.
The Media find out people's resentments and work on them to keep up their circulation . Nasty thing to do. There's more than enough hatred about without stirring it up.
I have a lot of friends who are ten or twenty years younger than I am and I hope it stops me turning into a miserable old codger. I hate meeting people who only know they are still alive because they can hear the sound of their own voices complaining.
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