‘Elderspeak’: Belittling language can damage health
October 8th, 2008From the New York Times:
Patronizing and negative language directed toward elderly people can lead to negative health consequences, researchers are finding.
In studies by Yale researchers, older people exposed to negative images of aging, including words like “forgetful” and “feeble,” performed worse on memory tasks and showed higher levels of stress. In another study by researchers from the University of Kansas, patients with dementia were more aggressive and less cooperative when health care workers addressed them with language like “good girl,” “dear” and “sweetie.”
The Kansas researchers concluded that “elderspeak” sends a message to older people that they are incompetent, which begins a cascade of negative effects including decreased self-esteem, depression, withdrawal and dependent behaviors.
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October 9th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Ellen, I’m sorry that there were things that upset your dad in his later years. I guess what I was trying to say is that frequently a waitress will call me honey and I don’t think she’s putting me down (I’m 52 years old). The man who works at our garage always calls me young lady. I don’t like it because I think he’s flirting but I’m guessing he thinks he’s being funny, not offensive.
People frequently tell me to lighten up when I call them on using the word retard. They tell me to that I’m getting upset over nothing. So in response, I’ll say that I respect your father and if it would have bothered him to hear certain words then people shouldn’t use them, for that reason alone.
Although I don’t understand the issue, I have to try and see it through his eyes, that’s what respect is. Wish people like Ben Stiller could have done the same.
October 8th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I have to disagree with you, Hannah. My father was a positive, upbeat gentleman until the end of his life. The few times I saw him upset were not due to his illness but to disrespect shown him because of his physical limitations.
We parents of children with special needs expect others to respect our wishes when it comes language used in relation to our children. I think we all owe the same respect to older people who, like our children, cannot always speak for themselves.
October 8th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I certainly don’t want to diminish the pain that these elderly people feel but I couldn’t help but shake my head while reading this piece.
As the mom of a special needs child, we deal with hearing much worse language thrown at us every day. Give me someone calling my child “dear” or “sweetie” any day over “retard.” I can’t get through a day without hearing someone demean and offend my child and others like her with really offensive language.
I’m truly sorry if in fact being called “dear” or “sweetie” or having someone ask you what you did when you were a somebody puts you in a funk enough to shorten your life span. At least you have the ability to defend yourself by standing up and saying you prefer to be called something else.
I hope that someday, someone at the New York Times thinks that we as a community are important enough to put our story on the front page and give our children and family members the attention they so rightly deserve.