Perspective chapter: age is not just a number: understanding ageism and its health implications for older adults

Soares, Célia

Publication

Perspective chapter: age is not just a number: understanding ageism and its health implications for older adults

2025-05Book part

dc.contributor.author	Soares, Célia
dc.date.accessioned	2025-09-11T14:05:46Z
dc.date.available	2025-09-11T14:05:46Z
dc.date.issued	2025-05
dc.description.abstract	Demographic changes present both benefits, such as the increased longevity of older individuals, and potential concerns, including ageist expressions. Ageism is a complex phenomenon, deeply rooted in modern societies, encompassing stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination that affect billions of older adults globally. The stereotypes surrounding older people combine both positive and negative traits, with negative aspects such as illness and dependence being socially emphasised. Emotional responses of pity and sympathy, linked to paternalistic or benevolent forms of prejudice, are commonly associated with these stereotypes. Ageism can manifest at micro, meso, and macro levels, and it can be directed towards other individuals or oneself. Stereotype Embodiment Theory offers insight into how age-based stereotypes influence self-perceptions of ageing and subsequently impact health and well-being. When stereotypes become self-relevant, they can act as either facilitators or barriers to the health outcomes of older persons. Internalised age stereotypes can result in self-fulfilling prophecies through three primary pathways: psychological, behavioural, and physiological. The detrimental effects of ageism on the health conditions of older adults compromise their active ageing, have been observed globally and have increased over time. Efforts to combat ageism must consider various factors across different levels and domains, requiring a coordinated international strategy for success. Three effective strategies include the development of policies and laws, educational and intergenerational contact interventions. Changing stereotypes is essential; it is crucial to rethink practices and institutional norms or policies that place older persons in positions of inequity or jeopardy while also promoting contact and solidarity between generations.	eng
dc.identifier.citation	Soares, C. (2025). Perspective chapter: Age is not just a number: understanding ageism and its health implications for older adults. IntechOpen. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.1010316
dc.identifier.doi	10.5772/intechopen.1010316
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10400.26/58646
dc.language.iso	eng
dc.peerreviewed	yes
dc.relation.hasversion	https://www.intechopen.com/online-first/1218615
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject	Ageism
dc.subject	Health outcomes
dc.subject	Older people
dc.subject	Age-based categorisation
dc.subject	Stereotypes
dc.subject	Discrimination
dc.subject	Self-perceptions of ageing
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	Intergenerational contact
dc.subject	Active ageing
dc.title	Perspective chapter: age is not just a number: understanding ageism and its health implications for older adults	eng
dc.type	book part
dspace.entity.type	Publication
oaire.version	http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85