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Fields v Board of Education of the City of Chicago

In this Seventh Circuit decision, the court highlighted the importance of well-documented improvement plans and evaluations as a defence to discrimination claims.

A new Principal set tough new targets for teachers. Mrs Fields was marked as "developing", failed to turn in lesson plans, and was subject to performance improvement. She retired in 2016 at the age of 63 but then brought a claim of age discrimination.

The Court rejected Mrs Fields's claim. It held that could not show she suffered an adverse employment action. She was unable to show that anything other than job performance was behind the School's actions.

The judgment is available here.

Babb v Wilkie

The issue in this case is whether the 1967 Age Discrimination in Employment Act - which protects employees 40 and older from age discrimination - requires a "but-for" cause, meaning proof that the action would not have happened if age were not a factor. There is no judgment on this case yet, but could potentially have a big impact on federal age discrimination law when decided.

Various people v various broadcasters

This year has seen a number of cases involving high profile anchors suing broadcasters.

Norman v Call-A-Nurse LLC

Can "vague comments" establish an age discrimination case? No, said the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Norman v Call-A-Nurse LLC.

In this case, an executive director alleged that she was fired because of her age. She argued that comments including "this isn't the way we do this anymore" and "times have changed; now things no longer work that way" were evidence of age discrimination. Whilst offensive and derogatory comments about a person's age can substantiate a case, "simple teasing" or "offhand" comments cannot.

The court ruled that the comments faced by Ms Norman were "similar to [...] vague remarks about generational change" that are insufficient to establish a claim. Accordingly, it dismissed the case.
The judgment is available here.
Downey, Bonner v Adloox, Inc.

Was it age discrimination to refer to someone as an "old timer"? No, according to the 2nd Circuit US Court of Appeals.

In this case, one of the plaintiffs said that the CEO had referred to him as an "old timer" on two occasions. Both times were outside of the workplace and it was acknowledged to be a joke. Work matters were not being discussed. Other evidence from the CFO that the company was seeking "young sharks" was not relevant as it did not relate to the plaintiffs' dismissal.
The judgment is available here.
Comment about stray comments in the UK

Employment Tribunals in the UK might take a different view of comments of the sort at issue in Downey, Bonner (and Norman). These comments might be enough to shift the burden of proof, meaning that it is for the employer to prove that there was no age discrimination.

Von Kaenel v Armstrong Teasdale LLP

A law firm's partnership agreement required equity partners to retire upon reaching 70 years of age. A partner was forced to retire in accordance with these terms but brought a claim alleging age discrimination. He claimed that the forced retirement policy breached federal age discrimination laws.

The 8th circuit found that the partner was exactly that - a partner. Because he was not an employee of the firm, the retirement policy did not violate the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Mr Von Kaenal's claim was dismissed.
The judgment is available here.
Comment about retirement in the UK

The Equality Act 2010 is wider in scope than just employees. It covers:

people engaged on some other sort of contract (for example agency workers or self employed freelancers)

people who apply for work

office holders (such as company directors)

people undertaking or applying for work-related training (for example apprentices or interns)

If Mr Von Kaenal's claim were being heard in the UK, he would not have failed at the first hurdle as he did in this case.

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The 6 most interesting US age discrimination cases in 2019 - age discrimination

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In this Seventh Circuit decision, the court highlighted the importance of well-documented improvement plans and evaluations as a defence to discrimination claims. A new Principal set tough new targets for teachers. Mrs Fields was marked as "developing", failed to turn in lesson plans, and was subject to performance improvement.

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Denial of a job because of young age- Employer can assume the person is not equip/ experienced enough because of age.

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Makayla LaPorte

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Elderly people aren't seen on tv shows, social media, etc as much as younger people because we stereotype what a main character should look like and we often think younger rather than older.

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People will deny you certain positions because they don’t think you have the experience to do it. They also deny you because they think you won’t stick around and will just leave.

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Employers use certain phrases to mask the fact that they are interested in applicants <30
"Recent college grad" -you can graduate from college at any time

"Digital Native" this was a term coined to describe generations that were born with cellphones in hand, in this context it would exclude anyone born in the 80s or earlier

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Sebastian Lange

As British politician Pearl Strachan Hurd once famously said: "Words have more power than atom bombs." And some words - even those spoken without a harmful intent - can wound mightily.

Take, for example, the recent Project Runway show where the term "old lady" was tossed around liberally as a synonym for fashion that is out of date - that is, a bad thing. It was repeated so often that a 77-year-old retired professor of architectural design could barely stand it. Carolyn Dry got so mad that she called friends, the show and agreed to talk to the Washington Post.

But putting aside hurt feelings, the damage that occurs when age is equated with desirability is tangible. Take job ads, for instance. Despite protections by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), employers have gotten cleverer in masking what is age discrimination:

"Recent college graduate"

Under the ADEA, employers aren't allowed to say they want a recent college graduate when they post a job. Some might argue that anyone of any age could have recently earned a college degree, but the law is the law and companies run the risk of being afoul of it on this one. And let's face it: The vast majority of recent college grads are, in fact, in their 20s.

One reason we still see this language is that no office of the federal government routinely checks the ages of those who get hired and those who get passed over for a job unless there is a complaint filed. How's that working out for older workers? Not so great, especially in the tech sector. A Statista report put the median age of a Facebook employee to be just 28 years old; Statista also reported that 54 percent of Facebook's U.S. users are over 35.

Employers may seek a recent college grad because they want someone to work for cheap. It's unfortunate that they think this is limited to the pool of recent graduates. Many out-of-work midlifers would jump at the chance for a job that came with health benefits, regardless of whether the pay is less than what they previously earned. And boy, wouldn't they just swoon if the job came with a 401(k) corporate match!

While we are at it, who do employers think taught all those recent college graduates?

"Digital native"

A digital native is someone who was born with a cellphone in their hand. OK, slight exaggeration there. The term was coined by Marc Prensky in 2001 and used to describe the generation who became comfortable with technology at an early age. Common wisdom puts that as folks born in 1980 or after.

More to the point, asking for a digital native in an ad reinforces the myth that older people aren't comfortable with technology. It's the "old dog, new tricks" thing. And it's bogus. Pew Research found that older people may have been later to embrace technology, but once online, they embraced it fully.

What these ads are really doing is sending the message that they don't welcome older applicants. They shouldn't assume that an older person wouldn't be interested or capable. Can you image a job ad that said the company was seeking someone who was "white" or "heterosexual?" If that's not OK - and it's not - it is equally not OK to say you want to hire someone who is a digital native.

"Cultural fit"

Some companies say they are trying to cultivate a certain corporate vibe. They want to hire people who would work well with existing staff - an admirable goal - but in cases where the median age is young, this often results in assuming that an older worker will feel out of place.

When a corporate culture is based around socializing with coworkers and employees are expected to work long hours and then play together, it can exclude workers who have family obligations and need to rush home.

While it seems innocuous enough on its surface, "cultural fit" is a standard that historically masks discrimination. It harkens back to when a black applicant wouldn't have been a good cultural fit because they likely wouldn't be admitted to the country club or come from the same colleges as white applicants.

Civil rights laws presumably changed a lot of that, but now the same standard is being imposed regarding age. Having a workforce with a range of ages shouldn't be a bad thing. It should be a goal, and that's not bound to happen if everyone hired is at the same stage in life and brings the same sensibilities to the job.

"Energetic person sought for young company"

By careful wording, this job posting stays just on the right side of the law. The company is young, not the applicant being sought. The applicant just has to be energetic.

Does it fool anyone? The message is clear: Older people need not apply.

"Age cases would not be age cases if not for the vast number of creative ways employers refer to employees as old. Seems like there is no limit to how employers - and society - refer disparagingly to older people," bloggedFox Rothschild LLC, a law firm in Philadelphia.

The case the firm was discussing involved a 76-year-old security guard in Missouri who claimed he was fired because of his age. His supervisor had told him that he "needed to hang up his Superman cape." In other words, it was time for him to no longer work - because of his age.

Sometimes, the blatant age discrimination is well, blatant. Companies have flat-out advertised that they are looking for someone young. "High energy level" is often used as a euphemism for "young," playing off the stereotype that older employees lack energy.

"Five to seven years experience"

There have been recent cases that argued job advertising for new employees with five to seven years of experience shows the intent to recruit relatively new graduates. This phrase deters those who have more experience from applying.

The EEOC says setting a minimum experience level is fine, but it must be open-ended. So "looking for someone with a minimum of three years of experience" is fine. But restricting it to those with less than seven years is not.

More Disrupt Aging

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Ageist Phrases Employers Use to Mask Age Discrimination

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Sebastian Lange As British politician Pearl Strachan Hurd once famously said: "Words have more power than atom bombs." And some words - even those spoken without a harmful intent - can wound mightily. Take, for example, the recent Project Runway show where the term "old lady" was tossed around liberally as a synonym for fashion that is out of date - that is, a bad thing.

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Examples of age discrimination during the recruitment process — age discrimination

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To avoid age discrimination in hiring, steps should be taken across the recruitment process: from writing the recruitment documents, to advertising and interviewing, and then ultimately to selecting the right candidate.

Age discrimination during the recruitment process: job adverts, application forms, experience and qualifications

Job adverts, application forms, person specifications and job descriptions should be written and presented in an age-neutral way. For example, including photos of young people in recruitment material could give rise to an inference that applications from older applicants are not welcome. Language should be used careful and special attention made to avoid any words that could be seen as being code: for example, "gravitas" could relate to older workers whilst "energetic" could relate to younger workers.

Experience

When it comes to experience, requirements should be described in terms of the type of experience or the depth of experience, rather than a simple number of years of experience. This is because if, for example, a requirement of 10 years of experience is imposed, it would rule out anyone aged in their 20s from applying. Imposing a job requirement that is too hard for young workers to meet could lead to indirect discrimination claims.

Qualifications

Applicants should only be asked for qualifications that are necessary to the role. For example, looking for "graduates" might not be necessary for a role as a cleaner and might discriminate against older workers.

Exactly this issue arose in the Supreme Court case of Homer v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire. Here the Supreme Court said that a requirement for people to have a law degree to get to the top level of pay was indirect discrimination. Different requirements could have instead been applied to all staff and the degree requirement was not necessary (there was also a comment that making special adjustments or granting privileges just to employees in a particular age group, such as older workers, would risk indirectly discriminating against those outside of the group).

A similar example of age discrimination during recruitment is Games v University of Kent. In this case, a renowned architectural write and historian had been encouraged to apply for a role as lecturer. All candidates were required to hold a PhD and, as Mr Games did not have one, he was automatically rejected at the shortlisting stage. Mr Games argued that people of his age (56 or more) were less likely to have a PhD and so this policy indirectly discriminated against those in his age group.

Age discrimination in interviews: how to avoid bias

The best way to avoid age discrimination in a job interview is prevention. Ensure all interviewers have had adequate diversity training that includes conscious and unconscious bias.

Unscripted interviews

To ensure a fair, even and unbiased interview process, it's a good idea to ask the same questions to all candidates. Preparing the questions in advance ensures interviewers will be able to obtain the information they need in a non-discriminatory way. The case of James v Coedffranc Community Council is a big warning against the use of unscripted interviews.

In this case, Coedffranc Community Council was recruiting for a parking attendant in order to replace a 67 year old who had recently left. Mr James (also 67) applied for the role. During his interview, most of the interview panellists asked questions straight from a prepared script.

However, one interviewer, a Councillor Annette Wingrave, went off script and began making statements such as " I've just noticed how old you are" and asking questions such as " How's your health anyway?". She also wrote down the ages of applicants on her copy of their application forms.

An Employment Tribunal found that Councillor Wingrave's action were enough to support a case of direct age discrimination. As Coedffranc Community Council were unable to show that Mr James's age was not a reason why he did not get the position, the Employment Tribunal ruled in his favour.

Avoiding unscripted interviews will mean that you can insure against accidental age discrimination. Questions such as "when did you graduate from high school" are not acceptable as it is an indirect way of being able to figure out the applicant's age.

Scoring in interviews

Preparing interview questions and interview scoring criteria in advance (and sticking to them) is a good way of avoiding age discrimination during an interview. But that is only the case where such questions and scoring have been prepared properly.

The case of Frost v David Harber Limited is an example of age being used as a measure to score against.

In this case, an interviewer was using a proforma scoring sheet with a list of attributes. The interviewer scored the interviewees out of ten for each attribute and one attribute was "age".

Mr Frost was asked how old he was and he replied by saying " has the same legal effect of asking how gay or disabled I am ". He did not answer and so was given six out of ten under the "age" criterion. He was ultimately rejected from the role and although the company tried to argue that "age" was relevant as it related to ability to carry a 30kg sundial, Mr Frost won a claim of direct age discrimination.

Age discrimination, job adverts, and the application of age limits

Any age limit - whether it be a maximum or a minimum age limit - is, on the face of it, direct age discrimination. Age limits amount to less favourable treatment because of age as they stop those who do not meet the criteria from even being considered.

This issue has arisen often, particularly in cases before the ECJ.

Examples of age limits in job adverts

For example, in Gorka Salaberria Sorondo v Academia Vasca de Policia y Emergencias, an age limit of 35 years old for new Police Officer recruits was considered. The ECJ held that, although it was direct age discrimination, it was justified. The role in question required a high degree of operational activities and substantial evidence had been obtained showing that those aged 40+ were not able to carry out the roles to the level required. Other roles that had fewer operational requirements and more administrative activities were not subject to the age limit.

This case could be distinguished from another, Vital Pérez v Ayuntamiento de Oviedo. Here an age limit of 30 could not be justified. The role in question here was largely administrative and there was no evidence to support such an age limit.

In the UK, an Employment Tribunal held in Baker v NATS that an age limit of 36 for new candidates to be trained as air traffic controllers was directly discriminatory. It could not be justified as there was no legitimate aim behind the policy.

In West v Funky Owl Pub, a job advert said that a pub was looking for staff aged "between 18 and 25". An Employment Tribunal found that this was both direct and indirect age discrimination.

Age limits and objective justification

Unless they can be objectively justified, age limits or age ranges will always be direct or indirect age discrimination.

Any decision to restrict applications only to those of a certain age group is a potentially risky one. Trying to justify an age limit requires clear and compelling evidence which, in many cases, may not exist or be readily obtainable.

Age discrimination and assessment centres

In the case Li v Vision Security Group Ltd, a experienced security worker went through a number of tests during an assessment day. He found himself to be the oldest applicant and so, when he has rejected, suspected age discrimination.

The Employment Tribunal disagreed and did not uphold his claim. It found that although his experience was substantial and impressive, it was not relevant to the role he had applied for. Other candidates scored much higher than him in tests of his Excel abilities and situational judgment abilities.

Although this case is a reassurance to employers, it comes with a note of caution. Employers should ensure that the tests used in an assessment day are not indirectly discriminatory.

What if age discrimination happens but the applicant doesn't even want the job?

Is it age discrimination if someone is rejected for a job because they are "too old", but that someone didn't actually want the job? No, according to the EAT in Keane v Investigo.

In this case, Ms Keane was an experienced accountant who applied for many newly qualified accountant jobs. She brought age discrimination claims against those who rejected her, but the EAT said that she had suffered no detriment. Even if she were successful, she would not have accepted any of the positions.

A similar issue arose in Berry v Recruitment Revolution and the EAT made the same decision.

Comment: ageism in recruitment

Age discrimination legislation came into force through the Employment Equality (Age Discrimination) Regulations 2006 (not, as many mistakenly believe, the "Age Discrimination Act 2006") and has continued through into the Equality Act 2010.

Age discrimination can slip into recruitment processes all too easily. Employers should be mindful of this. They should regularly review their processes and ensure age discrimination is properly covered in all diversity training.
Article updated 8 July 2022

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Examples of age discrimination during the recruitment process - age discrimination

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To avoid age discrimination in hiring, steps should be taken across the recruitment process: from writing the recruitment documents, to advertising and interviewing, and then ultimately to selecting the right candidate. Job adverts, application forms, person specifications and job descriptions should be written and presented in an age-neutral way.

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Being “denied” medical help because “you’re too young.” I wouldn’t call it refusing to help, but if you’re in the doctors for a chronic issue they don’t tend to take you seriously.

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Age discrimination case turned away by supreme court 

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Age discrimination case turned away by supreme court 

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Tales of Age Discrimination in the Courts (aarp.org)

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photo of Walter Mikulan by Stephen Voss

Walter Mikulan

The case: Allegheny County Jail

At 64, Walter Mikulan is near the age when he imagined he would be considering retirement. As it happened, that came much earlier than he planned.

In 2017, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, paid a $1.15 million settlement to Mikulan, a former major at the Allegheny County Jail who filed an age discrimination case after he was fired in 2013 at 58.

Mikulan, who lives outside Pittsburgh, declined to comment on the specifics of his case, citing a nondisclosure agreement he signed as part of the settlement agreement with the county.

But Mikulan, who worked for nearly 30 years at the jail, says the process of fighting the lawsuit, and of losing his job long before he was eligible for Social Security and Medicare, was life-changing. If he hadn't received the settlement, it also would have been financially devastating.

Soon after he was fired, Mikulan's wife received an ovarian cancer diagnosis, and the couple had to pay for their own health insurance. Mikulan had been making nearly $40 an hour at the jail. To make ends meet, he took a job as a high school security officer for $10 an hour.

"You spend your life working, and then one day you are faced with bankruptcy," says Mikulan. "Thank God my wife and I are savers, and we had a little money to fall back on. It's a terrifying experience."

Mikulan says he was the first of his friends to experience the end of a career before traditional retirement age and to fail to find a comparable job to replace his income. But he wasn't the last. In time, many of his friends would live through the experience, and Mikulan would talk them through it. "The late 50s, that's a target date to kick you out the door," he says.

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Tales of Age Discrimination in the Courts

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photo of Walter Mikulan by Stephen Voss The case: Allegheny County Jail At 64, Walter Mikulan is near the age when he imagined he would be considering retirement. As it happened, that came much earlier than he planned.

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"Similarly, television advertising, which has a profound effect on influencing and shaping attitudes, repeatedly conveys negative stereotypes by representing older persons as feeble, forgetful, stubborn, and helpless. Repeated exposure to negative stereotypes about aging and the elderly in commercial advertising can lead to a devaluing of the elderly."

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The Role Of The Media In Supporting Ageism

Mass media, particularly television and movies, define social roles in contemporary culture by presenting a steady and repetitive portrayal of images and a system of messages. Studies reveal the common perception in the media that youth sells and youth buy. This view causes television shows, movies, and advertisements to feature young characters to bring in large audiences and revenues. The media emphasize youth and beauty, fast-paced action and lives, and overly simplistic portrayals of individuals. This emphasis exacerbates the negative image of aging and the elderly in American culture, because the stereotypes of aging are the antithesis of the attributes upon which television and movies thrive.

The image of aging depicted in the media has generally been one of negative stereotyping, a portrayal that seems to be more negative than any other social group. In American culture, the aged are not depicted as experienced "elders." Rather, older people are tolerated and respected to the extent they can act like younger people and work, exercise, and have healthy relationships.

Research from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, shows a continuing negative portrayal of older persons and the elderly by the media, manifested mostly through comments referring to decline and deterioration in old age.

The media also tend to exclude or severely underrepresent the elderly in the images presented on television compared to the proportion of elderly in the U.S. population. While the population age sixty-five and older represents almost 13 percent of the U.S. population, only about 8 percent of the roles in television commercials in the 1990s were of older persons (Tupper). Older women are almost invisible in prime-time television shows and movies.

Similarly, television advertising, which has a profound effect on influencing and shaping attitudes, repeatedly conveys negative stereotypes by representing older persons as feeble, forgetful, stubborn, and helpless. Repeated exposure to negative stereotypes about aging and the elderly in commercial advertising can lead to a devaluing of the elderly.

Advertisers clearly focus their marketing on younger women who are primarily responsible for household purchases. The common perception among advertising agencies is that younger age groups spend more than older age groups. Recent studies show that while sixty-five to seventy-four-year-old consumers outspend their counterparts in the thirty-five to forty-four-yearold category, ad agency staff ignored older audiences and underappreciated their potential and power as consumers.

Newspapers and magazines generally present neutral images of aging and do not create or support negative images of the elderly in their coverage of stories or in advertisements.

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Ageism - The Role Of The Media In Supporting Ageism

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The Role Of The Media In Supporting Ageism Mass media, particularly television and movies, define social roles in contemporary culture by presenting a steady and repetitive portrayal of images and a system of messages. Studies reveal the common perception in the media that youth sells and youth buy.

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Younger people are usually seen as "underqualified" for jobs while having the same experience as some older adults. Also if younger adults are laughing and having a good time, older adults will call them childish.

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Older consumers perceive a marketing bias against them because of their age — and it shows in these recent advertisements and marketing campaigns.

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The Prevalence of Ageism in Health Care

A growing elderly population in the U.S. will force the health care industry to deal with the problem of ageism.

The Growing Elderly Population in the U.S.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, "By 2060, nearly 1 in 4 Americans will be 65 years and older, the number of 95-plus will triple, and the country will add half million centenarians." In 2016, there were 49.2 million children under 18 and 73.6 million adults 65 and older; by 2060, these numbers are predicted to grow to 80.1 million and 94.7 million, respectively. As the elderly population grows, the demand for health care will increase and potentially exacerbate ageist attitudes.

Defining Ageism

Ageism can be cognitive in the form of stereotypes, emotional in the form of prejudice, or behavioral in the form of discrimination. It may be also implicit or explicit, and manifest itself among individuals, within social networks, or via institutional policies or cultural traditions.

Examples of Ageism in Health Care

Care-related ageism manifests in numerous ways. Physicians may dismiss a treatable pathology as a feature of old age. Staff members may share ageist jokes or may have implicit ageist thoughts and behaviors toward elderly patients without conscious awareness. Providers may also treat the natural effect of aging as a disease.

Potential Causes of Ageism

One of the theories behind ageism is the terror management theory, which suggests that a negative bias against older individuals helps protect younger individuals for thinking about aging's negative aspects. Another theory is the functional approach theory, which suggests that stereotypes serve individuals in the cognitive realm by helping them increase efficiency through categorizations and in the social realm by helping them identify with the social in-group. Being surrounded by elderly patients with severe health conditions, misconceptions regarding the hierarchy of treatment, and poor training are also perceived causes.

The Widespread Effects of Ageism

Ageism in health care impacts the quality of geriatric care and patient-provider communication, as well as the habits and behaviors of elderly individuals.

Effects of Ageism

Many conditions can be undiagnosed and undertreated, such as pain, fatigue, and depression. Conversely, conditions can be overtreated if medical providers offer health recommendations based on age without conducting proper assessments. This could be a costly issue - overtreatment can cost between $158 billion to $226 billion every year. It can also put the patient through a lot. For instance, overtreating conditions such as prostate cancer can lead to surgery, intensive care, overdiagnosis of benign tumors, or unnecessary harm.

Communication between physicians and elderly patients may be poor. With elderly patients, doctors may be less patient, less engaged, less responsive to patient-raised issues, and more likely to assume a patient is cognitively impaired and not explain the details of an illness. That said, communication may be complicated by a patient's sensory deficits, cognitive impairment, or functional limitations.

Additionally, elderly patients may hold and exhibit ageist attitudes. Self-ageism can make patients less likely to seek health care, more likely to be undertreated, and less likely to engage in preventive behaviors such as regular exams, healthy eating, and exercising.

Taking Steps to Reduce Ageism in Health Care

Because ageism in health care exists across all levels, combating ageism will require implementing a strategy that involves training health care practitioners, revising institutional policies and procedures, and addressing ageist attitudes in elderly patients.

Challenges in Combating Ageism

It can be difficult to distinguish ageism from carefully reasoned clinical decisions. Indeed, ageism can be deeply embedded in daily procedures, and health care practitioners make decisions across multiple areas that impact clinical practice, such as screening, diagnostic tests, and treatment. Health care practitioners follow routine, familiarity, and evidence. Categorizing and stereotyping patients by risk or potential outcome may be necessary to make decisions. Following established practices makes it difficult for health care practitioners to embrace change.

Strategy to Eliminate Ageism

There are numerous key strategies health care professionals can use to mitigate ageism. These include adopting an individualized, person-centered treatment approach, defining non-ageist practices and attitudes, and acknowledging the need to eliminate ageism in practice.

Tips for Advanced Practice Nurses in Combating Ageism

Advanced practice nurses can also play a big role in minimizing ageism, and they can fight its presence through the deployment of several tactics. These include focusing on supporting the well-being of the whole person, educating elderly patients on the importance of adopting preventive habits, and helping elderly patients consider and establish their priorities.

Conclusion

Elderly patients deserve the same quality of care and attention from health care practitioners that younger patients receive. Once health care organizations identify ageism as an obstacle in providing quality care, leaders, managers, and advanced practice nurses will need to adopt an attitude that embraces change.

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Understanding Why Ageism in Health Care Is a Serious Concern

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Examine how the projected growth of older patients is increasing concerns over ageist attitudes in care delivery, and how professionals can combat its presence.

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Elderly, old, senior, kiddo, girl, young lady are some examples of ageist language. I watched a video where someone told someone else they would get back to them after helping out an elderly couple (in front of a large group) and she immediately regretted it and had to give them a complementary upgrade. Some neutral terms to use would be older people or younger people.

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Chloe Prince