Older New Yorkers facing troubling ageism
A new report on the greying of New York City has some dramatic numbers behind it as well as ageism biases from younger Gothamites.
In the report, of New York City’s 8.65 million citizens, 1.73 million or 20% are seniors 60 years of age and over, according to the Department for the Aging.
That figure is expected to surge to 1.86 million, or 40%, by 2040 as members of the baby boomer generation become senior citizens.
Age discrimination could worsen the physical and mental health conditions of older New Yorkers and increase medical costs, while positive feelings about age can have beneficial health effects such as “possibly protecting against dementia,” the report said.
the Health Department cited statistics from an unpublicized internal 2019 survey of 1,200 adults — conducted before the COVID-19 outbreak — that revealed discrimination against older adults.
The poll found that 60% of younger adults agreed that NYC is a place where older adults are valued members of the community, while only 35% of older New Yorkers believed that was the case.
Meanwhile, nearly 40% of people younger than 65 said speaking slowly would help older adults understand things, while only 13% of seniors believed that was necessary.
Nearly a third of younger adults agree that older adults are too easily offended or interpret innocent remarks as being ageist, compared to just 7% and 9% of senior citizens respectively who believed that was the case.
Nearly 20% of younger adults believe older adults are a drain on the health care system and the economy, nearly double the 11% of older adults who said so.
Health Dept. officials cited these examples as what constitutes “hostile ageism.”
Elsewhere, 37% of younger adults said seniors need to be protected from the harsh realities of society, double the 18% of adults who said that was necessary.
One-third of younger respondents said seniors are too old to do certain things and whose feelings get hurt when they fail, compared to 14% of older adults who agreed with the statements.
Another 29% of younger respondents said seniors shouldn’t be allowed to work and had already paid their debt to society, compared to 7% of older adults who said the same.