Most impactful example (Cruikshank & Aronson):
Cruikshank’s breakdown of how appearance, stereotypes, and “old” as a social category shape how we treat elders hit me hard because I see it often. The examples are clear, the taxi cab refused to pick Eva up, and even Doctors who dismiss the concerns of elders. I enjoyed reading about Aronson, when she was advocating for her Father, and the different assumptions about older people can alter the plan of care. One thing I hate to see is older people be dismissed or mistreated or even looked over due to their age. Its truly exhausting to watch. I like to step in when I see that older people may not be getting their point across. I actually stay to hear the conversation. Good care wont just happen, advocacy has to be involved. We also must be aware of systems that are set up to exclude.

Linking Cruikshank’s stereotype example to Dovey:
Cruikshank points to the two dominant cultural narratives, decline or glowing wisdom that traps older people in simplified roles. Dovey shows this same problem in literature and media: young writers’ default to “Grumpy Old Man” or “Eccentric Ageless Woman” because that’s what culture hands them. This part irks a little. Just because a person is older, it does not mean they are grumpy and just complaining. That is not the case all the time.  Dovey’s own moment of confession which was creating two flat elderly characters and realizing they were stereotypes evident, is Cruikshank in narrative form. Both authors are saying the same thing: if we only accept the canned versions of aging, we lose the person inside the years.

Internalized ageism in Aronson and Dovey:
Aronson’s examples include older adults who begin to accept diminished expectations waiting longer for help, apologizing for needing assistance — which is internalized ageism. I listen to my parents with this realization. They both say, of if you have time. Both of my parent recognize that they have to wait longer for help, when depending on others. For me, I help more because my Brother is not as patient as I am & I try not to make them wait long, but I have no choice. In Dovey, internalized ageism appears as both denial and fantasy: people said they feel 20 inside or younger writers imagine themselves as magenta-turban-wearing rebels at 85.

Language as a tool of ageism — examples & my experience:
Cruikshank names elderspeak such as similar to baby talk and Aronson calls out the medical language of death that sideline the person. Dovey catalogs genres and labels “Old People Behaving Hilariously,” “Old People Behaving Terrifyingly” — that flatten lives into slogans. I see elderspeak all the time at my tax/notary desk: staff unconsciously slow down, use pet names, or skip explaining documents because they assume the client won’t understand. I’ve caught myself doing it before and had to stop. It’s disrespectful and it costs trust. To fix it I now model direct, respectful language: ask how much explanation a client wants, speak to the adult in the chair, and never use infantilizing nicknames.

Why I took this class and the hardest issue for me:
I’m in the MSW track and I took this class because I want to be an informed advocate — not just for kids and families at the district I am employed with, but for older adults in my community. The piece of this reading trio that sits hardest with me is internalized ageism and the invisibility of older voices. It’s one thing to change my language. It’s another to dismantle systems that expect older people to be passive, and to make space for their authority. I see older clients who don’t assert themselves because they’ve been told either by society, by family, by professionals that their preferences aren’t urgent.

How I would work to overcome it in practice: I would start with language training, no elderspeak before actually helping the person. I also believe in routines. I want to create routines that invite them into decision making. The questions should be-How would you like this handled? I also want to advocate for systems like more flexible appointment times and technology training. Lastly, I believe that everyone has a voice, so I want to invite them to the table which are generally feedback sessions, and put their offerings into writing. Ageism is not just mean language, it often shows in the policies, and often times the way older people see themselves. As a future social worker, I believe in respect.

Reading Cruikshank, Aronson, and Dovey together made it clear: ageism isn’t just mean language or bad headlines. It’s baked into the stories we tell, the policies we write, and sometimes into the way older people see themselves. My job as a future social worker and current community business leader is to notice it, name it, and replace it with respect and real choice.

Dovey, C. (2015, October 1). What old age is really like. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/what-old-age-is-really-like