Have you taken a recent look at the greeting cards available for older adults?
Here’s just a sample of some of the treasures I found this week, all depicting cartoon drawings of wizened seniors: “With old age comes new skills: You can sneeze, fart and pee yourself all in one go!” “GPS for seniors. It tells you how to get to your destination and why you want to go there.” And, this gem, “The Senility Prayer.”
One I did agree with though reads, “Every day I understand the phrase, ‘We’re too old for this s**t,’ on a deeper level.”
Which leads into my topic of discussion for today: ageism.
Potty jokes aside, according to the Office of the Seniors Advocate for BC, there are some real issues around ageism when it comes to the workplace, social inclusion, healthcare and feeling dismissed and invisible.
I went through a period of feeling invisible some years ago until the day a 40-something-year-old guy stepped in front of me as I was next in line to check into a hotel. It wasn’t just the fact he was so rude but the young woman behind the desk didn’t say a word and proceeded to help him.
Let’s just say, that was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. That was also the day I lost my cool and found my voice.
“Excuse me,” I said loud enough that there was no mistaking there was a problem. “Excuse me, can neither one of you see me? Because I’m standing right here and the only possible explanation for your behaviour is that you can’t see me…”
I wasn’t done there. A manager was called, an upgrade was given and that was the day I promised, never again.
The BC Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt recently released the report, Reframing Ageism: British Columbians’ Thoughts on Ageism, which showed 84 per cent of 9,200 respondents believe ageism is an issue in the province and 54 per cent reported being directly impacted by it.
According to the report, ageism and ageist attitudes are noticed most often in the workplace, exclusion in social situations, in society through age-related jokes and insults (those ridiculous greeting cards), making decisions for, instead of with, older people, stereotypes in advertising, movies or media, or abuse through fraud or being denied care.
The Sunshine Coast is famous for its aging population –– according to the most recent census, the average age of a Sechelt resident was 51.6 years, while the median was 57.6 years. But many Coast seniors are not ones to go "gently into the good night." Instead, you’ll find older adults on the Coast running galleries, cycling the Whistler GranFondo, volunteering with search and rescue, organizing protests, maintaining hiking trails, painting, writing, quilting, playing in bands, sailing, you name it.
There’s also a less visible senior demographic, those who might not get out as much, possibly have health issues, and maybe lack the confidence to speak up.
My suggestion to you is try and find your voice again. It’s in there, as that hotel in Victoria discovered on that fateful day when I decided enough was enough.
But if you’re struggling and need help for many seniors’ related issues, let the Office of the Seniors Advocate for BC be your voice. You can reach their office by calling 1-877-952-3181 or by email at [email protected].
