While growing numbers of us are advocating for successful aging and battling aging stereotypes, there are new frustrations regularly that set back the movement. The latest entries are “Senior Crossing” signs. That’s correct…like children playing, pedestrians (seniors evidently don’t qualify), and deer crossing, motorist evidently need to be warned that there may be slow moving creatures in the area. This raises both stupidity and insensitivity to a new level.
During an online dialogue on LinkedIn, a member of the ICAA group commented that in Toronto workers are busy installing yellow caution road signs that read "Seniors" outside shopping malls, medical facilities, restaurants (especially McDonald's) and on the streets near retirement homes, aand the trend seems to be international. "Elderly Crossing" signs appear in the U.K., complete with a picture of two bent-over figures, one with a cane; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1046975/Beware-elderly-people-getting-crosser-OAPs-demand-revamp-insulting-crossing-sign.html. California uses a single bent-over figure with a cane; http://claycord.blogspot.com/2010/01/senior-crossing-in-concord-funny-sign.html.
Rather than wasting the taxpayer’s money on signage that is both offensive and unnecessary, why not spend some of that money on aging awareness training.
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