Dispelling Ageism: The Cross-Cutting Intervention

Abstract

This article challenges all of us—policymakers, practitioners, scientists, members of the medical profession, the public at large—to intervene in the most basic of all problems of old age: “ageism,” a term the coinage of which I lay claim to. In concluding this special issue of The Annals on interventions designed to enhance the quality of aging, I begin with a history of ageism as a disease. I specify many of its manifestations, which still linger today despite years of effort to dispel the false stereotypes and myths about older people. Concerning the treatment of ageism as a disease, I find that knowledge is the most basic intervention, serving as antidote to numerous erroneous but widely held beliefs. I conclude with a brief rehearsal of a few interventions of special interest, including support for older people's sense of mastery, provision of specially designed self-help books, and the recognition of older people both as constituting an important market and as potential contributors to the productive capacity of the society.