Harriet Bailiss
Co-Head of the Age Without Limits campaign at the Centre for Ageing Better
We are so surrounded by negative stereotypes around ageing and older people that we often don’t notice this ageism. It’s time to challenge these attitudes for all our futures.
Too often, what we see and hear in culture and the media around ageing is characterised by negativity, frailty and dependence. On television, we see few older people represented positively in storylines. Instead, we are bombarded with advertisements for funerals and life insurance. The public thinks 25% of people aged 65 and older live in care homes, yet the real figure is only 2.5%.1 When we find little in the way of positive, realistic and varied portrayals of older age, negative views become entrenched.
Ageism limits perceptions and attitudes
Of course, ageing can bring real health and social challenges; there are factors beyond someone’s control which affect their chances of ageing well. When portrayals of ageing and older people are overwhelmingly negative, it can limit the expectations we have for ourselves and lead to increased anxiety and negative views about getting older.
What it means to become older has changed dramatically over the last half-century
We might tell ourselves we’re too old for a hobby, to socialise or exercise. However, these things are vital to our wellbeing. Some may even delay seeking medical help if they consider certain health issues to be a normal part of ageing.
Ageism can also limit how others treat us. Older people with common mental health conditions are less likely to be offered talking therapies but more likely to be on antidepressants than younger patients. It can be harder to find employment or be offered training opportunities.
Age should not be the limitation
Ageism is stopping people from enjoying the benefits of healthy ageing. We can all play a role to help end ageism. We can do so by questioning ageist language and assumptions, talking about ageism with friends, family and colleagues and calling on the media and advertisers to improve representation of older people. What it means to become older has changed dramatically over the last half-century. Now, it is time for society’s views about age and ageing to change, too.
[1] Ageism: Key facts and stats. 2026. Age without limits. tinyurl.com/4v327vrh.
