Ageism. It’s a term that is becoming more and more prominent in society’s ever-growing lexicon.
Turn on your TV and you’ll see a plethora of ads such as “anti-aging cream” designed to help you look younger, pills to help “senior citizens” become less forgetful, or even ads for adult diapers. And while there have been tremendous strides to eradicate such harmful verbiage, it is apparent that such negative stereotypes do still exist and that we as a society must begin to view our older adults for their abilities, contributions, and the sum of their vast experiences not simply as a burden.
But the term ageism does not merely reflect the outside perception of older adults from the younger generations. In fact, the most harmful form of ageism is from older adults themselves. More specifically, it is the negative self-perception that permeates throughout your very own aging brain telling you that “you’re too old,” “it’s too late,” “I’m not what I used to be” or “what’s the point anymore?”
I’ve had the privilege of working in the active aging industry for over a decade now and as such, have become quite familiar with the numerous challenges that older adults face in their advancing years. From physical conditions such as neuropathy, muscle atrophy and frailty to cognitive issues such as forgetfulness, loss of processing speed and depression.
But perhaps the biggest challenge I face in assisting community-dwellling residents to age successfully is getting them to change their mindset. The aforementioned negative self-talk is a combined byproduct of societal views and their own internal feelings and observations. This is not to suggest that the majority of my residents suffer from self-pity or worse, have given up on life, but simply that they limit themselves from enjoying their lives to the best of their collective abilities. By focusing primarily on loss, you lose sight of what you have. By focusing on pain, you lose sight of joy. And by focusing on yesterday, you lose sight of today.
The greatest satisfaction that I get in my chosen profession is watching my residents live their lives like there’s no tomorrow. Attending as many exercise classes as possible, every outside activity, every in-house party or event. To witness the pride they have in what they have accomplished in their lives, but not rest on their laurels either. Those residents chose at some point to not listen to those negative internal voices and forged ahead creating new memories, new accomplishments and even new relationships.
You’ve surely heard the cliches: About living and not merely being alive. About the “dash” on your headstone being infinitely more important than the dates. They’re all true. This is your life and tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us so live your best life today. Don’t accept the excuses in your brain about being too old, weak, frail, forgetful, etc. Find a reason each and every day you’re alive on this beautiful earth to smile and to make others smile. Learn a new skill, tell someone a joke, go on an outing to somewhere new. Find ways to surprise yourself and you’ll be amazed at just how wonderful it feels.
I’ll end with one of my favorite quotes: Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: Wow! What a Ride!”
Thank you for reading. See you next month.
Editor’s Note: Chris Ratay is the director of active living at The Park at Surprise and has passionately been working with older adults since 2010. He has his B.A. in exercise physiology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and is a certified exercise physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
