My Elder Advocate

Disrespecting the Elderly: Betting on Death

Each year more and more people become "elderly." The Baby Boomer Generation has been aging and there is an ever increasing number of elderly in society. Youth is highly valued in our society as evident with everyone always trying to look as young as possible whether it be skin care products or plastic surgery or dressing a certain way we are all guilty of it. However, what has caused me to pose this question is a single website.

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Ageism: The Path to Elder Abuse

By Jack Halpern, MPS, LNHA

The number of Americans 60 and older is growing, but society still isn't embracing the aging population, geropsychologists say. Whether battling "old geezer" stereotypes or trying to obtain equal standing in the workplace, those who are 60 or older may all too often find themselves the victims of ageism. Fueling the problem is the media's portrayal of older adults.

Love and money and fraud ; Financial exploitation of the elderly is growing - and family members are often the culprits.

"Financial abuse and exploitation are among the fastest growing forms of elder abuse nationally as measured by different studies and reports," says Bob Blancato, national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition in Washington, D.C. He expects the problem to intensify, noting that about 70 percent of wealth in this country is controlled by people age 50 and older.

Ageism: The Path to Elder Abuse

The number of Americans 60 and older is growing, but society still isn't embracing the aging population, geropsychologists say. Whether battling "old geezer" stereotypes or trying to obtain equal standing in the workplace, those who are 60 or older may all too often find themselves the victims of ageism. Fueling the problem is the media's portrayal of older adults.

At a Senate hearing last fall, experts testified before the Special Committee on Aging about the effects of age stereotypes. Doris Roberts, the Emmy-award winning actress in her seventies from the T.V. show "Everybody Loves Raymond," also testified at the hearing.