Transcript Age Discrimination

Millards’ Training Department
Age Discrimination
Dear Millards’ Employee,
You have been selected to test this lesson.
Please let me know what you like and do not
like about the lesson. I will be observing you
while you work through the screens. If you
feel comfortable, share what you are thinking
by talking aloud as you go through this lesson.
Remember that we are testing the lesson, not
you. If you do not understand, the lesson is in
error, not you. Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Millards’ ID
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Age Discrimination
What is your reaction to this statement?
“She is wrinkled all over her body, she drools
constantly, and cannot control her bowels. She
cannot groom herself, so someone must bathe
her. She cannot digest solid food, and must be
spoon fed. She cannot communicate very well,
and has a hard time focusing. She cannot walk,
and must be supervised almost 24 hours a day.
She sleeps most of the day.”
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Age Discrimination
The description on the previous slide was given
to a class of third year medical students. The
lecture hall filled with groans of disgust as the
students imagined the patient. Some were busy
analyzing the facts and trying to come up with
a diagnosis and possible treatment in case the
lecturing doctor called on them.
The lecturer showed a slide of the patient --
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Age Discrimination
Q.
What do you think the slide looked like?
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Age Discrimination
A. – the slide showed a two-week-old baby girl!
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Age Discrimination
We make fun of age with cards …
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Age Discrimination
You just read an example of stereotyping.
Prejudice can be explained by the limitations
of human memory. Because of limited memory
it is common for people to simplify
knowledge. People do this by categorizing and
assigning characteristics to groups rather than
to individuals. This makes much less to think
about! The problem is that characteristics
assigned to groups may not be fair or
reasonable. For example, if you observe a bad
driver who is female, you may categorize all
females as bad drivers. This assumption is
incorrect and leads to disrespect towards a
group of people without any justification.
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Age Discrimination
There are many ways that people think of the
elderly that are based on stereotypes. Take a
minute and think through the chart on the
following page. How many of statements on the
chart might be applied to the elderly
population alone? Ask yourself when you read
through this information if YOU tend to think
this way.
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Age Discrimination
Which age group do you associate with
these statements?
Old
Old
Old
Old
Old
Old
Old
Old
Old
Young Keep their distance from other age groups
Young Drive dangerously
Young Think the world owes them a living
Young Opinionated
Young Never satisfied and always complaining
Young Can’t depend on them as employees
Young Hang around parks and shopping malls
Young Forgetful
Young Have more freedom than other people
Old Young Don’t act their age
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Age Discrimination
Did YOU think in a stereotypical way?
Reflect for a moment.
•Did you think of a specific age group on
the previous page?
•When asked the question about the baby girl
were you thinking of an older person?
•Were you stereotyping in these situations?
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Age Discrimination
Which ways of thinking are discriminatory?
A.
Disliking an elderly customer because
they were demanding and ungrateful.
B.
Thinking most older people are
unfriendly based on your experiences
with an unfriendly neighbor.
C.
Avoidance of elderly people because
they make you feel uncomfortable.
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Age Discrimination
Statements B & C are discriminatory
A.
Disliking one elderly customer because
they were demanding and ungrateful is
not discriminatory towards all elderly.
B.
Assigning a characteristic to a group of
people based on limited evidence is
discriminatory. Your neighbors
unfriendliness is not a reflection of all
older people’s attitudes.
C.
Avoiding all elderly people based on a
feeling is discriminatory.
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Age Discrimination
Have people always had discriminatory
attitudes towards the elderly?
Which statements are true?
True False Puritans believed that age was
considered a sign of favor
True False Puritans taught their youth to
treat the elderly with respect
True False Henry David Thoreau said “I have
lived some 30 years on this planet
and I have yet to hear the first
syllable of valuable or even
earnest advice from my seniors.
They have told me nothing and
probably cannot teach me
anything.”
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All of the statements were true!
Overtime, American culture has moved to a
disrespectful attitude towards the elderly.
Clothing is often fashioned for younger body
types.
Gerontophobia, or fear of growing older,
manifests itself in many ways.
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Age Discrimination
Codger?
Derogatory vocabulary is
used to describe older
people: “old fogey”,
“codger” and “gaffer”.
Expressions such as
“You are only as old as
you feel” or
“Age before beauty”
(implying that age is not
beautiful) are
commonplace.
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Age Discrimination
Think of an example where the media
treats the elderly with disrespect.
Think of current or past TV shows that are
discriminatory
Think of movies stereotype older people
Think of ways that the advertising industry
discriminates
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If people were educated they would
understand the elderly better.
Test your “age facts IQ”:
True False 1. People who are older do not see or
hear as well as they did when they were younger.
True False 2. A majority of the elderly
population are mentally depressed.
True False 3. Older people have less muscle
mass than younger people
True False 4.The elderly have more automobile
accidents
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Test your age facts IQ (continued):
True False 5. Older people cannot adapt to
change.
True False 6. Learning new information is
much slower for older people.
True False 7. Older people have more in
common with each other than other age groups.
True False 8. Older people are socially isolated.
True False 9. Medical professionals tend to
ignore the elderly.
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Age Discrimination
Answers:
1. T
6. T
2. F
7. F
3. T
8. F
4. F
9. T
5. F
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Age Discrimination
What can YOU do at Millards?
Based on the information that you’ve
received in this lesson, make two suggestions
for improving the treatment of the elderly at
Millards. Think of store policies or events that
might make the older Millards customers feel
welcome and appreciated.
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Age Discrimination
The end
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