If 60 is the new 40, someone needs to tell young people.
Research shows that being treated as an ‘old person’ starts at the average age of 62 – despite studies indicating today’s sexuagenarians feel younger than previous generations.
A survey of more than 3,000 people by personal fall alarm firm Careline 365 asked over-65s when people started treating them like an ‘older person’. The average age for this was 62, with a fifth of people saying it started in their 50s.
Almost 40 per cent said they had felt talked down to by those younger than them. Some 28 per cent of this group said this had happened when using technology, 22 per cent when paying at a till and the same percentage when on the phone seeking help from a company.
Within conversations, they found this mostly when talking about social media, while words such as ‘codger’, ‘fuddy duddy’ and ‘old dear’ were judged to be most patronising. The findings have reignited the debate on ageism, which six per cent of over-65s said started before their 50th birthday.
New research shows that being treated as an ‘old person’ starts at the age of 62
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: ‘The way that millions of people over a certain age are casually patronised and treated as ‘old’ is unacceptable.’
Dr Carole Easton, chief executive of the Centre for Ageing Better, said: ‘Ageing is a lifelong process – no one becomes ‘old’ overnight. Older doesn’t automatically mean frail, vulnerable or dependent.’
Evidence suggests 55 per cent of adults think the UK is ageist. Age UK says ageism is so ’embedded’ in our society it often goes unnoticed. Holly Wood, head of service at Careline 365, said: ‘There is a generational disconnect in how we interact with those classed as ‘old’ – from our tone, to language and approach to communicating.
‘With almost 11 million Britons aged over 65 – about 19 per cent of the population – we can’t afford to be getting this wrong.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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