The survey found that 63 per cent of respondents reported being treated wrongly as a result of their age. But despite those numbers, the survey also found that half of all respondents acknowledged that ageism – discrimination related to age – is the most tolerated of all societal prejudices.
“It's troubling that ageism is so pervasive, in a time when society needs to evolve to meet the needs of an aging population,” Jeff Lozon, Revera’s president and CEO, is quoted as saying. “Building an age-inclusive society must be a top priority for all of us as our demographics change.”
Revera discovered that the most common types of ageism include seniors being dismissed or ignored, being treated and spoken to as if they are useless, and seniors being treated and spoken to as if they are incompetent and inept.
As for the culprits, the newspaper quoted the study as finding that while more than half of those guilty of ageism come from younger individuals, significant numbers of senior say they have faced ageism from healthcare and government workers.
Ageism is a significant problem, especially for an aging society. What do you think? Can Ageism - which is a form of elder abuse - be defeated in North America? Tell us about it in the comment section below.