Definition
Aging, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is defined by the process of getting older, the process of making something appear older than it is, or in reference to something that has reached the end of its usefulness (Oxford English Dictionary n.d.). “Ageism” refers to discrimination of a person based on age, and in the context of this chapter, to the discrimination of older adults, this is also sometimes called, “gerontophobia.” In Western society, and especially the United States, it is commonly accepted that the greater society is youth oriented, and thus, older adults are less respected (Hillier and Barrow 2011; Nelson 2002). Stereotypes refer to beliefs and opinions about people or groups, which may stem from personal experience or societal beliefs. The act of stereotyping may come from a basic need for categorization important for...
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Liou-Johnson, V., Van Moorleghem, K., Mills, B., O’Hara, R. (2016). Aging, Inequalities, and Health. In: Pachana, N. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geropsychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_188-1
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