Calling older people sweet is a ‘damaging stereotype’

Ageism campaign calls for people to challenge those who use ‘patronising’ terms towards elderly

CALLING older people sweet or kind contributes to a “damaging stereotype” about ageing, a charity has said.

A campaign by the Centre for Ageing Better has urged the public to challenge their friends who use the “belittling” terms because they are “patronising”.

Other “ageist” phrases such as “I’m too old for this”, “having a senior moment” and “you look good for your age” should be dropped because they risk becoming “self-fulfilling prophecies”, the campaign advises.

Anti-ageing creams can harm “our self-esteem and confidence as we get older” and even encourage people to undergo cosmetic surgeries, it adds.

In a five-part quiz on the charity’s website, which urges the public to test whether they are ageist or not, visitors are asked how they feel if a friend describes an older person as “sweet”.

Answering “it is belittling and I should call my friend out on it” prompts the on-screen response: “We agree – nobody should be judged to have particular attributes based on their age.

“Even ‘positive’ assumptions can be patronising or belittling.”

If someone inputs the answer: “I wouldn’t think much about it – older people can be really sweet,” the quiz says: “They might mean it affectionately, but this stereotype – of older people being inherently ‘sweet’ and ‘kind’ – can be damaging.

“Research suggests that people who hold this view generally also think older people are less competent.”

The campaign, called Age Without Limits, has installed billboards in train stations and other places around the country, which read: “Are You Ageist?”

A handout available on the charity’s website called “Challenging ageism through everyday conversations, dialogue and discussion” says using the phrase “dear” is ageist, alongside “wrinkly” and “come on grandad”.

The charity has been allotted £50 million in funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, a non-departmental public body, which awards grants to good causes.

Dame Esther Rantzen, 83, the founder of The Silver Line, a help-line for older people, has criticised the campaign. She said: “I absolutely hate this quiz. There are words which are profoundly offensive, because they are racist, because they are obscene.

“But the words this quiz is attempting to ban do not fall into either of these categories. And I fear it trivialises the very real problem in this country with ageism.”

Dr Carole Easton, the chief executive of the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “We see and hear casual ageism every day, it’s embedded in our society and even accepted as normal by many of us who are older.”