This Article Full Text (PDF) Services Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire PubMed PubMed Citation

Guest Editorial

Ageism in Gerontological Language

^a Duke Center on Aging, Box 3003 Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710. E-mail:

Everyone desires to live long; but no one would be old.

—Jonathan Swift

Gerontologists generally agree that ageism (prejudice against older persons) is a major problem in our society ( Palmore 1999). Yet many gerontologists and geriatricians use language that implicitly perpetuates ageism through negative images and stereotypes of older people. I am sure that most of this negative language is not meant to be ageist and the users are typically not aware of its negative effects. But the negative effects are insidious and potent, despite their innocent intent.

This editorial is an attempt to raise awareness of the negative connotations of common terms used in gerontology and to suggest some more neutral or positive terminology.

	Negative Terms

TOP Negative Terms Neutral or Positive Terms References

 
Aging.
The dictionary's basic definition of aging is "to become old: to show the effects or the characteristics of increasing age." This may sound innocent, but what are the assumed "effects or characteristics of increasing age"? Usually they are negative things like senility, chronic illness, debilitation, deterioration, and senescence.

In a typical example, Crews 1993 writes, "aging may be measured as frailty, loss of vigor, failure to thrive, loss of physiological function, or decreased adaptability." Even the National Institute on Aging (1993) lists the processes of "normal aging" as declines in function of the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, muscles, sight, and hearing. Such usage implies that aging is bad and to be avoided if possible, or at least slowed as much as possible.

I suggest a moratorium on the use of aging as a euphemism for deterioration, because it gives aging a "bad name." If one uses aging in the neutral sense of chronological aging, this is not ageism. But if one means decline or deterioration, it would be more honest and clearer to say so, and instead of aging use deterioration or debilitation when that is what you mean.

Old.
One might think this would be a neutral or even positive term because the Latin roots, alere and alescere, mean to nourish or grow. However, most of the synonyms for old make it clear that the connotations are usually negative: antiquated, archaic, senile, worn, discarded, debilitated, infirm, frail, and so forth. Is it any wonder that nobody wants to be "old"?

Again I suggest a moratorium on such negative usage of old. Instead, use one of the synonyms to indicate what you really mean, rather than the euphemism old.

Elderly.
Some may think this is a kinder term than aged or old, but it usually implies frailty at least, if not disability or senility.

	Neutral or Positive Terms

TOP Negative Terms Neutral or Positive Terms References

 
Older person, retired person, grandparent, and persons older than 60 (or any other age group).
All of these are fairly neutral terms and thus would be preferable in scientific writing.

Senior, elder, and veteran.
These terms have positive connotations and so are preferable in ordinary writing or conversation. Some have humorously suggested "chronologically advantaged" as a complimentary term, but I suspect it is too big a mouthful to catch on.

In conclusion, I urge you to help reduce ageism by avoiding the negative usage of aging, old, and elderly. Instead, use neutral or positive terms such as those suggested above.

	References

TOP Negative Terms Neutral or Positive Terms References

 

• Crews D., 1993. Biological aging. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 8:281-290.
• National Institute on Aging1993. In search of the secrets of aging (NIH Publication No. 93-2756) National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
• Palmore E., 1999. Ageism: Negative and positive Springer Publishing Co, New York.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Falconer and D. O'Neill Out with "the old," elderly, and aged BMJ, February 10, 2007; 334(7588): 316 - 316. [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article Full Text (PDF) Services Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire PubMed PubMed Citation