Ageing

The new millennium has brought general improvements in the health status and lifestyles of older people. Life expectancy has increased more in the past 50 years than the previous 5000 years! But one thing has not changed much, and some people even argue that things have become worse-older people continue to be devalued and discriminated against because of their 'age' attribute. Some predict that 'ageism' will become one of the major social challenges of the twenty-first century, much like sexism and racism were the hallmark of social change in the previous century. We continue to use language and take action that stigmatises older persons, with the effect that we consider them not to be like us. This creates the context for ageism, and partly legitimates giving older people what Goffman terms a 'spoiled identity'.