by Liam McKenna

Fresh FOX Content, August 17, 2017

Let’s abolish ageism.

Ageism is when people make judgments solely based on age.

“I’m [pick a number] years old. Who’s going to hire someone that old?”

That’s probably the most common reference we see to ageism in pop culture. Movies and television shows often portray this issue in a workforce setting.

However, ageism is far more present in daily life. It just may not be obvious – yet.

Let’s prep for a Sunday family dinner.

Grandma loves cooking her pasta.

She reaches into the cabinet that holds her spices. She grabs that unique combination of basil, something secret not meant for this article, and garlic. It’s a simple yet special combination no one else can get quite right. ​

The calendars on the refrigerator come and go. The scene begins to change.

“Yo, your grandmother is 91,” Uncle John yells out. “Help her get those spices outta the cabinet.”​

The grandson, of course, wants to help out. He grabs the spices. Grandma thanks him.

That help begins to permeate into each part of the meal: filling the pot with water, dumping the pasta into the colander, and so on.

“Yo, your grandmother shouldn’t have to be making the pasta at 91. She already made the effort of driving in from the city. Take care of it for her. C’mon,” Uncle John says.​

On the surface, this scenario is coming from a good place in wanting to assist Grandma. Yet, ageism also plays a role here.

By having Grandma “take it easy,” she’s becoming less independent ever so subtly. The amount of functioning decreases. There’s a misconception: Because she’s older, grandma shouldn’t have to “push herself.”

Is this the best thing for her?

When someone becomes less and less active, it contributes to the aging process taking a hauntingly negative spiral into frailty and failure.

Let’s extrapolate.

Uncle John gets Grandma a scooter that Christmas.

She stops walking. Her legs begin to swell. The weight of her legs keeps her from getting up at times.

Uncle John moves Grandma into his in-law suite. He cooks her meals. He gets a bedside commode.

She’s 92 now. Just a year prior, she was living independently, driving, cooking. She has tumbled down the slippery slope of aging at a fast and unnecessary pace. She is now in frailty and failure.

This takes place without asking Grandma what she truly wants. Her world went from a city to one room in a year.

The point: Ageism negatively impacts older adults’ ability to function at the highest level.

Consider: Where do you want to be when you’re 92?

Do you want to be amazing your family every Sunday with that pasta?

Do you still want to master the kitchen?

Let’s age with the mindset that these activities can be done and far more.

Why?

Today’s evidence and age-based normative values tell medical experts that a better job can be done educating patients and caregivers regarding an older adult’s true abilities.

FOX Rehabilitation’s mission is to help older adults achieve these things, even though older adults and their caregivers may have once thought them impossible. No one looks at older adults’ abilities the way FOX does.

In putting this mission into action, FOX starts out with that very simple question featured in the above video: “Where do you want to be when you’re 100?”

FOX Founder and CEO Dr. Tim Fox, PT, DPT, GCS, asks that question to every new clinician who joins FOX. In fact, he answers it himself.

“I want to be doing wheelies on my dirt bike.”

No one is going get to that point hearing:

“Take it easy.”

“You’re too old for that.”

Let’s abolish ageism.