Importance of Ending Ageism Increases as Life Expectancy Continues to Lengthen

The census bureau estimates that by 2050 approximately 25 percent of Americans will be over the age of 65. Yet our culture has done little to eliminate the one accepted prejudice that could relegate a quarter of our population to second-class citizenship – Ageism. As our population continues to age, the need to halt ageism and ageist practices becomes more urgent, according to the recently published issue brief by the International Longevity Center-USA (ILC-USA) entitled “The Future of Ageism.” Ageism, like racism and sexism, is prejudice and discrimination against members of a group, in this case, older people. It does differ in two important ways. It is a universal prejudice because increased longevity means that we can all eventually become its victims; and unlike racism and sexism, it is rarely discussed in the media or through public discourse. It is a relatively new concept first mentioned by Robert N. Butler, M.D., president and CEO of the ILC-USA, in 1969.   “The great issues of aging in America—poverty, elder abuse, and loneliness—are by-products of our society’s tacit acceptance of ageism,” Dr. Butler wrote in his preface to the issue brief. “It can be seen in the failure to enforce basic standards