Elderly discrimination results from long-standing and widespread stereotypes regarding the elderly. It may occur in various areas of an individual’s life, including in the health careimplicit Family members are not the only individuals that are responsible for elderly discrimination. Numerous age discrimination cases occur in the workplace. An elderly individual may experience elderly discrimination at any point of the employment process, including while applying, interviewing, and working at a job.
An elder may be refused promotions, fired, or laid off because of his/her age. Although the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has been established in order to investigate age discrimination cases and punish offenders, many employers continue discriminatory practices. In working for a particular company, an elder may be granted less responsibility than other employees. Elderly employees are also more likely to be laid off when a company must make job cuts. As a result, many age discrimination cases cause elders to question their self-worth. Like employers, they themselves may begin to believe that they are incapable of doing specific tasks.
Age discrimination cases also occur in the medical and health care field. Elderly individuals are often not treated with the same quality care that young patients receive. They may not receive treatment for serious health complications and may not be given regular screenings for serious diseases. This may cause an elder to adopt the mentality that his/her life is less important than other individuals. The beliefs and mentalities that elders often adopt due to age discrimination may cause him/her to suffer from severe depression. In some extreme cases, an elder may attempt suicide as a result of his/her depression.
