Creating Sensitivity or Perpetuating Stereotypes

I recently had the opportunity to spend four days with my four grandchildren ranging in age from two months to 7 years old. What a joy! I am both excited for them and worry about their future in light of rising deficits, polarized politicians, and the continuing rise in child predators. Still, my goal is to provide them with a positive role model for later life. Since research indicates that the image of old age we develop as children is a determinate of the older person we become, I want them to view older people as fun, positive, involved and trustworthy.

My concern is that a few days every now and then is easily compromised by many more hours viewing media stereotypes and even the educational system it would seem. I recently read an article about entitled, “Fifth Graders Learn About Aging at Eldercare Summit.” They “learned about the effects of aging” by participating in sensitivity sessions. During these sessions, they view the world through glasses covered in Vaseline to stimulate blurred vision and plastic gloves with taped fingers to demonstrate the effects of arthritis. I can’t think of a quicker way to have children view old age as terrible.

I have long railed against these sessions as doing as much to perpetuate aging stereotypes as they do “sensitize” children. Wearing gloves with taped fingers doesn’t have anything to do with age but with arthritis, which my 2 year old granddaughter also has. Vaseline covered glasses sensitizes you to what it is like to have glaucoma. While likely to occur in later life, it is not a predetermined outcome of aging. Isn’t it time we stopped teaching about the problems of aging and focus on the beauty and wisdom?

While Grandma Moses’ hands were crippled with arthritis, she continue create beauty and share that beauty with the world. It is time we refocus the messages we are putting in the minds of our children. By instilling a positive view of later life and what to do to insure it with our children, we will be giving them a precious gift. It will also go a long way to reducing future healthcare expenses and improving the quality of later life for future generations.