Media researcher, George Gerbner, reports that those exposed to these programs adopt a perception of “older persons [who] are in poor shape financially as well as physically, sexually dormant, close-minded and inefficient.” He goes on to affirm that older characters in film and television are commonly portrayed as “ …

This article outlines the biggest challenges that elderly people face today and how we can support them and enable them to age with dignity.

• Ageism and a lost sense of purpose.
• Financial insecurity.
• Difficulty with everyday tasks and mobility.
• Finding the right care provision.
• Access to healthcare services.

Cultural beliefs shape social norms and values surrounding the aging process and the role of older people. These beliefs about aging are not static—they shift and change as society evolves. We then explore positive and negative aging myths that perpetuate ageism and their impact on older adults.

Individuals from each cultural context internalize cultural values with age. These internalized cultural values become goals that guide adult development. When individuals from different cultures each pursue their own goals with age, cultural differences in socioemotional aging occur.

Although elderspeak is typically well-intentioned, it is actually a form of ageism that represents negative stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination against older adults on the basis of chronological age or the perception of them being ‘old’ (Iversen, Larsen, & Solem, 2009).

First described as “babytalk” (Caporael, 1981; Ferguson, 1964), the register includes: slow speech rate, exaggerated intonation, elevated pitch and volume, simple vocabulary, reduced grammatical complexity, changes in affect, collective pronoun substitutions, diminutives, and repetition (Nussbaum, Hummert, Williams, & …

Reassure the person with a calm voice and gentle touch. Don’t argue or try to use logic; Alzheimer’s affects memory, and the person may not remember he/she asked the question already. Provide an answer. Give the person the answer that he or she is looking for, even if you have to repeat it several times.

People with the most common types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, usually have a mild form of aphasia. This often involves problems finding words and can affect names, even of people they know well.