As part of the Village movement, NNV is committed to building a supportive community for older adults in Northwest, DC. Intrinsic in this work is creating a space where our neighbors can age with the dignity they deserve and fighting ageism when we hear it or see it. Ageism is any stereotyping and discrimination against individuals or groups based on their age. Ageism can take many forms, including prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory practices, or institutional policies and practices that perpetuate stereotypical beliefs (APA, 2020a). It is insidious in our culture, and can bring a great deal of psychological harm and many overlooked opportunities.

The American Psychological Association (APA) has recently published a guide to inclusive language, including for older adults and people living with disabilities. You can read all of the guidelines on their website. Many terms that have been used to describe older adults are dated, ageist, and just plain need to be retired!

The APA guide suggests avoiding using terms like “the aged”, “seniors”, and “the elderly”. These terms reinforce antiquated stereotypes and suggest that older adults are not part of society but a group apart (see Lundebjerg et al., 2017; Sweetland et al., 2017).

For a complete list of terms to avoid and suggested alternatives, please see the box below. For more information on problematic and preferred language use related to age, please refer to the APA bias-free language guidelines for writing about age (APA, 2020b).

Terms to avoid                     Suggested alternatives

the elderly
elderly people
the aged                            older adults
aging dependents             older people
seniors                               persons 65 years and older
senior citizens                   the older population

Language is powerful; it can create a welcoming atmosphere of inclusion or it can cause irreparable harm. NNV is committed to fighting ageism on all fronts, and will continue to follow the APA’s new guidelines. We hope you’ll join us!

References

American Psychological Association. (2020a). APA resolution on ageism. https://www.apa.org/about/policy/resolution-ageism.pdf

American Psychological Association. (2020b). Bias-free language. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language

Lundebjerg, N. E., Trucil, D. E., Hammond, E. C., & Applegate, W. B. (2017). When it comes to older adults, language matters: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society adopts modified American Medical Association Style. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 65(7), 1386–1388. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.14941

Sweetland, J., Volmert, A., & O’Neil, M. (2017). Finding the frame: An empirical approach to reframing aging and ageism. https://www.frameworksinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/aging_research_report_final_2017.pdf