Ageism is manifested in a wide range of phenomena, both on individual and institutional levels—stereotypes and myths, outright disdain and dislike, or simply subtle avoidance of contact; discriminatory practices in housing, employment and services of all kinds; epithets, cartoons and jokes.
+Robert Butler, geriatrician, Why Survive? Being Old in America, 1975 Flip the Script on Aging—the theme for Old Americans Month 2025 This theme focuses on transforming how society perceives, talks about, and approaches aging. It encourages a shift in mindset to embrace the opportunities that come with age.
+Administration for Community Living, ACL.gov, 2025
AS YOU MAY REMEMBER FROM PREVIOUS MAY ARTICLES in this space in HLN, May is Older Americans Month. Checking out the theme for this year’s celebration, I am intrigued by the theme. I like it and I disagree with it at the same time.We need to change our attitudes, prejudices, and stereotypes about our older years of life, but it’s not aging, per se, that we need to flip, it’s ageism. Yes, it’s one of the isms, and we need to pursue it with as much vigor and passion as we do when dealing with the other isms.
As I used to say to my students in the gerontology classes I taught at Lourdes College, if you know one older person, you know one older person. No two of us are alike. The assignment each student was given in the introductory course was to interview an older person using an interview form designed to give a range of information about the person. There was no age given on the form, so the students had to decide who was old in their mind or experience. They shared their summaries, and the age range sometimes was from 45 to 90. The difference was often explained by how the students viewed their interviewee and included attitudes, stereotypes, never having spoken to an older person before, etc. The goal of the exercise was to have the students discover their own attitudes about aging and to see for themselves the individual uniqueness of each person. We age as we live, and our bodies and minds and social conditions influence how we “turn out,” if you will. Aging is a natural part of our life process, and we have the power to embrace or reject the opportunities that come with this precious process.
Robert Butler, who coined the term ageism and wrote about aging in his book, Why Survive? Being Old in America (1975), spent his life researching the biological and socioeconomic aspects of the aging process. In 1993, several of my peers in the field of gerontology and I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Butler speak on aging issues at a conference on aging in Toledo. He became an example of an active and well older person who in his 80s wrote another book on aging entitled, The Longevity Prescription: The 8 Proven Keys to a Long, Healthy Life (2010). He literally spent his life trying to “flip the script on aging” by working on the myths and stereotypes on aging and changing attitudes with scientific research and facts. He was very aware that this needed to be done along with focusing on older persons themselves seeking and embracing the opportunities that come with aging.
As I reflect on my own life at 81, I am most grateful for the opportunities I have to stop and smell the roses/lilacs/ lilies of the valley, enjoy the sunsets, read spiritual books and novels, visit the Sisters in our nursing home. I recently retired (I call it refocusing my life) from a three-day-a-week volunteer job and can now sleep in or stay up late whenever I wish. I text and facetime and email and still send snail mail to more family and friends and more often. Just to be able to take my time to do whatever it is that needs to done, or do nothing if that is the need on any given day, is a precious opportunity. When I run out of energy or just can’t get going, I go with the flow, and I find that is another opportunity in these later years. My wish for people in the later years is that we not only survive but also thrive! Enjoy life whenever and wherever you can!
Sister Mary Thill is a Sylvania Franciscan Sister. She can be reached at mthill@sistersosf.org. ✲
