Stereotypes about aging seriously harm seniors

By Rita Baum

And so from hour to hour
we ripe and ripe,
And then from hour to hour
we rot and rot.
And thereby hangs a tale
--William Shakespeare, As You Like It

It would seem that the Bard had a dim view of aging, one informed by myths rather than realities. How would Will have scored on this aging quiz, if he were a first year student in Gerontology 101? How do you score on this aging quiz?

True or False?

____1. More than 50 percent of elderly are senile (that is, they suffer defective memory, disorientation or bizarre behavior). (T/F)

____2. About 35 percent of older people are living in long-term care institutions, such as nursing homes. (T/F)

____3. About 80 percent of older adults are healthy enough to carry out their normal activities. (T/F)

____4. Medicare pays the medical expenses for older people. (T/F)

____5. Most American families maintain frequent contact with their older relatives. (T/F)

____6. The majority of older people live alone. (T/F)

____7. Depression is a common emotional problem in older adults. (T/F)

____8. It is normal to expect significant personality changes if the older person is heavily medicated or has a brain disease. (T/F)

____9. As people age, their ability to learn often stops. (T/F)

___10. Loss of independence is the fear most often associated with aging. (T/F)

____11. Today, approximately one out of 10 Americans is more than 65 years old. (T/F)

____12. Most older people have little interest in sex. (T/F)

____13. All of the senses tend to decline in old age. (T/F)

____14. The majority of older people have incomes below the poverty level. (T/F)

____15. Constipation is a common problem of aging and something older people just have to learn to live with. (T/F)

____16. Twenty to thirty percent of people over 65 are alcoholics. (T/F)

____17. The basic human needs of older people are different from those of younger people. (T/F)

____18. Failing memory at age 60 is a normal part of the aging process. (T/F)

Answers to Aging Quiz

1. False. Although higher statistics are often quoted, a recent report from Johns Hopkins Medical Center says 6 percent to 8 percent of people over age 65 have dementia and 1/3 of those over 85 have some dementia symptoms.

2. False. Only five percent of people over age 65 live in nursing homes.

3. True.

4. False. Medicare pays 80 percent of the approved amount of covered procedures.

5. True. Adult children are sometimes painted as uncaring people who abandon their aged parents. The truth is that most children make great sacrifices to help their parents enjoy the best quality of life possible.

6. False. Twenty-seven percent of older people live alone.

7. True. Depression often results from losses, isolation, and inactivity.

8. True.

9. False. Learning patterns may change and speed of learning may diminish, but the basic capacity to learn is retained. Many colleges and universities have older adult education departments, which emphasize newer teaching modalities for older people.

10. True.

11. False. One out of eight Americans is 65 or older, compared with most European countries, where one out of five is 65 or older.

12. False. The most common reason for lack of sexual activity is lack of a partner, especially in women. Seventy percent of men over 70 years old are sexually active, barring illness or medication.

13. True. Sensory system losses include hearing, vision, taste, smell, touch and kinesthetic and vestibular (balance, equilibrium and muscle) senses--older people become dizzy more easily because of this loss, and fall down more readily.

14. False. Fifteen percent of older Americans have incomes below the poverty level. However; the rate is 27 percent in Washington, D.C.

15. True and False. Constipation is often associated with lifestyle and diet. Some people, however, have had irritable bowel syndrome or other functional problems that go further back than middle or old age.

16. False. Ten percent of older Americans are alcoholic.

17. False. Older people continue to have many of the same needs as younger people, including the basic need for food and shelter, as well as the need to belong, to help others, to touch and be touched, to have someone to care for and to care about them.

18. False. Failing memory at age 60 is most often the result of anxiety and depression over job, finances, upcoming retirement or other issues of importance.

For many participants, this quiz is an eye opener. The false stereotypes held about older people are usually detrimental to the older population. Older people want to be aware of what is going on in the world, to look and feel well, to be humored and engaged. The extent to which they are exposed to stimulating activity, human associations, a varied diet, regular exercise and plenty of mental activity all influence the process of aging.

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