Why should Aging be part of
Diversity Week at UCF?
Richard D. Tucker, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Psychology
UCF Liaison to LIFE at UCF
October 22, 2013
One of President Hitt’s Five Goals
for UCF
Become more inclusive and diverse.
Outline:
• What do we mean by “diversity”?
• What aspects of “diversity” are addressed by UCF and
why do we celebrate Diversity Week?
• Why is the “diversity of age” appropriate for inclusion
during Diversity Week?
• Concept of “double/triple jeopardy”
• Who are the “old”?
• Some basic premises about aging (from my
perspective)
• Ageism: Definition and implications.
• Exploring Key Myths and Realities of Aging
Office of Diversity Initiatives
• Mission, Vision, and Goals
• The mission of the Office of Diversity Initiatives is
to assist the University of Central Florida in
reaching its strategic goal to "Become More
Inclusive and Diverse" by facilitating diversity
processes, programs, and policies that promote
social justice, enhance cultural competencies,
and develop capacious leaders. Our students,
colleagues, and constituents represent diverse
peoples and perspectives across multiple
generations.
What Does “Diversity” Mean?
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Difference
Unlikeness
Variety
Comprised of differing elements
Variety
Inclusion of different types of people
What aspects of diversity are included
in Diversity Week? Why?
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Race
Ethnicity
Gender
Sexual Preference
Disability
Homelessness
Intergenerational relationships
Why should “age” be included in our
definition of “diversity”?
• Older adults are the fastest growing segment of
our population.
• Florida has the highest concentration of older
adults in the United States.
– What is the percentage of resident Floridians over age
65?
• Almost 18%
• By 2030, it will be closer to 30%
• Diversity increases with age
Mean vs. Standard Deviation
• UCF has a significant population of older
adults who are on campus every Tuesday.
• The process of aging is not well understood.
• Many of the issues of aging are social issues.
• Many stereotypes and prejudice leading to
AGEISM.
Concept of double (or triple) jeopardy
• People of color can be subject to racism
• Women can be subject to sexism
• People with different sexual orientations can
be subject to homophobia
• Older adults can be subject to ageism
• But what are the multiplicative effects of
each?
Ageism
And the Diversity of Age
Richard D. Tucker, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Psychology
UCF Liaison to LIFE at UCF
University of Central Florida
UCF Diversity Week
Outline:
• Ageism: What is it?
– Explicit vs. implicit ageism
• Ageism: What are some examples?
– The Ageism Survey
• Ageism: Why does it occur?
– Gerontophobia and cultural values
• Ageism: What are the consequences?
– Health, Memory, Self-Efficacy, Identity
• Ageism: What can we do about it?
Defining Ageism:
• When did the term come into being?
• 1969 – Dr. Robert Butler – “Ageism: Another
form of bigotry” – The Gerontologist
• Definition: “A process of systematic
stereotyping and discrimination against
people because they are old.”
• Comparisons to racism and sexism.
• Implications:
• 1. Allows the younger generation to see older
people as different from themselves and cease
to identify with their elders as human beings.
• 2. Such stereotyping and myths surrounding
old age are explained in part by a lack of
knowledge and insufficient contact with a
wide variety of older people.
• 3. Manifested in wide range of phenomena
on both individual and institutional levels:
– A.
– B.
– C.
– D.
Stereotypes and myths
Outright disdain and dislike
Subtle avoidance of contact
Discriminatory practices in employment.
• Implicit Ageism (Becca Levy)
• “the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward
elderly people that exist and operate without
conscious awareness of control, with the
assumption that it forms the basis for most
interactions with older individuals”
– “unconscious” beliefs, attitudes
– Acculturation – We live in an ageist society
– Prescriptive stereotypes – Old people should……..
– Positive Ageism
What are YOUR images of aging???
• “When you think of old persons, what are the
first 5 words or phrases that come to mind?”1
(from Levy)
• How do we sort out the myths from the
realities?
The Ageism Survey
In the public sector
Ancient
Geezer
Biddy
Gone senile
Blubbering idiot
Goose
Codger
Gopher
Coot
Greedy geezer
Crone
Hag
Crotchety old man
Little old lady
Dirt ball
Miserly old man
Dirty old man Old fart
Fogy
Old goat
Fossil
One foot in the grave
Gaffer
Over the hill
Geek
Sweet old lady
Ageist Terms
Ageist Terms (continued)
In the medical profession
Bed blocker
Crock
Fossil
Gerry
Gogy
GOMER (Get Out of My Emergency
Room)
GORK (God Only Really Knows)
SPOS (Semi-human [or subhuman]
Piece of Shit)
Texting Codesfor Seniors
ATD - At the Doctor’s
BFF - Best Friends Funeral
BTW - Bring the Wheelchair
BYOT - Bring Your Own Teeth
CBM - Covered by Medicare
CUATSC - See You at the Senior Center
DWI - Driving While Incontinent
FWBB - Friend with Beta Blockers
FWIW - Forgot Where I Was
FYI - Found Your Insulin
GGPBL - Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low
GHA - Got Heartburn Again
HGBM - Had Good Bowel Movement
IMHO - Is My Hearing-Aid On?
LMDO - Laughing My Dentures Out
LOL - Living on Lipitor
LWO - Lawrence Welk’s On
OMMR - On My Massage Recliner
OMSG - Oh My! Sorry, Gas
ROFL - Rolling on the Floor
LCGU - Laughing…Can’t get Up!
TOT - Texting on Toilet
TTYL - Talk to You Louder
WAITT - Who Am I Talking To?
WTFA - Wet the Furniture Again
WTP - Where’re the Prunes
WWNO - Walker Wheels Need Oil
GGLKI (Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking in!)
What fuels Ageism?
• Gerontophobia
– Fear of aging
– Fear of the aged
Perceived threats
Intergenerational inequities
Cultural Obsessions with “Anti-Aging”
Intermittent selective reinforcement
What are the consequences of
Ageism?
– Ageism, like all prejudices, influences the behavior
of the victims:
• Adopting negative perceptions of self.
• Elders “collaborate” with the enemy, with stereotypes.
• The “enemy within”
Experiments on induced, implicit stereotype threat
Effects on hand-writing, memory tasks and stress
Health Consequences of Ageism
Results from various studies by Becca Levy of Yale University:
• People, age 72+, with positive age stereotypes were 44% more
likely to recover from a severe disability than those with
negative stereotypes (10 yr. study)
• Participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging who
held negative age stereotypes had a 30% greater chance of
experiencing memory decline 40 years later.
• BLSA participants with positive age perceptions lived 7.5 years
longer than those with negative perceptions.
• Regarding the occurrence of heart attacks 30 yrs. later - 25%
(with negative views) 13% (with positive views)
How can you confront ageism?
• 1. Education: Separate the myths from the
realities of aging
• 2. Consciousness raising (Betty Friedan’s two
books)
• 3. Separate effects of disease from the effects of
aging (remember the Dr. Seuss ageist poem)
• 4. Encourage more opportunities for interaction
between generations
• 5. Provide models of successful/productive
aging.
• 6. Future shift in demographics (Baby Boom) and
“power”
Questions?????????????????