TY  - JOUR
AU  - Levy, Sheri
AU  - Apriceno, MaryBeth
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/10/28
TI  - Ageing: The Role of Ageism
JO  - OBM Geriatrics
SP  - 083
VL  - 03
IS  - 04
AB  - Worldwide, people are living longer but not necessarily experiencing optimal health since healthy ageing stems from a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors.  The growing interdisciplinary literature on ageism from education, medicine, psychology, and social work increasingly highlights the pivotal role that ageism plays in ageing. Ageism is generally an overlooked factor in understanding and fostering healthy ageing.  Ageism creates a negative view of the ageing process as marked by inevitable deterioration and decline, and ageism sets in motion wide-reaching negative biopsychosocial consequences for people along the lifespan. To contribute to a fuller understanding of factors that influence healthy ageing, this article applies an interdisciplinary, biopsychosocial approach to ageing by integrating insights from the burgeoning literature on ageism. The role of ageism on ageing is reviewed as a double-edged sword in terms of how (1) being the target of ageism on the one side (e.g., someone being treated as incompetent, forgetful, sickly or as a burden) leads to negative physical, psychological, and social consequences and how (2) being the perpetrator of ageism on the other side (e.g., someone poking fun of, avoiding, or bullying older adults for their age or older appearance) also leads to negative physical, psychological, and social consequences Across one’s life and/or during particular periods of one’s life, the same person may be both a target and perpetuator.  This article reviews findings showing how combating ageism in turn can improve healthy ageing. This review reaches the conclusion that the study of ageism and its reduction is an important piece in the puzzle of understanding how to foster healthy ageing. In light of the serious nature of ageism and the growing older population worldwide, it is timely and necessary for research on ageing to increasingly consider the intervening role of ageism on healthy ageing.
SN  - 2638-1311
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.geriatr.1904083
DO  - 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1904083
ID  - Levy2019
ER  -