What do you think of older adults? Are you being kind to your elders? Once you learn a little more about ageism, you might realize you’ve been unintentionally treating them with bias.
In a press release issued by SCAN this week, the company announced Independence at Home (IAH), a community service program of SCAN Health Plan, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans, is supporting the American Society on Aging (ASA) and its Ageism Awareness Day (October 7) by sharing facts about its impact on society and helpful tips to be age-inclusive on their Facebook page throughout October.
According to the ASA, ageism affects people of any age and harms all. A few facts that might be surprising to learn are that ageism decreases quality of life and can shorten lifespan by 7.5 years.
Although it is universal, people do not always take ageism as seriously as they do other forms of inequity, while it intersects with, and exacerbates all other discriminatory “isms.”
ASA explains that there are many forms of ageism, including:
• Internalized ageism: How we feel about ourselves as aging people; and ageism in which older adults marginalize and discriminate against other older people.
• Cultural ageism: The everyday, invisible, profoundly ingrained, and normalized negative messages about aging and old people embedded in movies, TV, songs, jokes, etc.
• Implicit ageism: The unconscious bias that includes attitudes, feelings, and behaviors toward people of other age groups that operate without conscious awareness or intention.
• Benevolent ageism: Patronizing, paternalistic beliefs, or behaviors that older people need to be protected and taken care of by younger people because they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves. The most common example is known as Elderspeak. When an older adult is addressed as if they are much younger and can’t make decisions on their own—the voice may rise to a higher pitch, and simple words are used and spoken more slowly as if speaking to a child.
Follow SCAN IAH’s Facebook page all month to learn new ways to be age-inclusive weekly. https://www.facebook.com/IndependenceatHome Look for #TalkAboutAgeism.
If you really want to see what it’s like to age, SCAN IAH is offering a no-cost, in-person training designed for professionals and community members who work or interact with older adults. It offers insights into the changes that older adults face and provide techniques on how to better connect with them. There are two sessions available:
Wednesday, October 18, 2023 9:30am -11:30am
Register By Wednesday, Oct 11 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WLGY82F
Thursday, November 30, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm
Register By Wednesday, Nov 22 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HLQS37Z
SCAN IAH offers multiple free programs and education classes for caregivers and older adults. They also coordinate the Multipurpose Senior Services Program* (MSSP), a government-funded program that allows adults 65+ to stay in their homes in the Harbor Area, the South Bay, and a large portion of Southeast Los Angeles County. Through long-term care management services, MSSP connects Medi-Cal eligible clients to the services they need to help them maintain independence and dignity in their current residences, and per the USC Leonard David School of Gerontology, aging in place saves costs and increases life expectancy.
*To qualify for the no-cost MSSP, one must be a Medi-Cal recipient with an approved aid code, age 65+, and require assistance with chore and personal care needs.
About Independence at Home
For more than 20 years, Independence at Home, a SCAN Health Plan community service, has provided vitally needed support and health and social services to the communities SCAN serves at no cost, regardless of membership. Independence at Home programs include Community Education, Cyber Senior, Homeless Services, Insights (Behavioral Health), MSSP, and Virtual Senior Center.
For more information on all of SCAN IAH’s free community-based programs, visit www.IndependenceAtHome.org or call 866-421-1964.
