It’s week 5 meaning we are halfway done with the quarter! :o One big assignment we had to complete for this class was the Debunking Ageist Myths assignment. For this assignment, I knew I wanted to create a video since I liked how engaging a video can be and picking the animations was super fun! The stereotype I chose was “memory loss is inevitable as we age.” I chose this stereotype because it is a topic that some of my family members may joke about sometimes so I wanted to understand it more. Phrases like “I had a senior moment”, “I’m getting Alzheimer’s now” or saying “it’s because I’m getting old” when one forgets a detail are seemingly lighthearted jokes that play a role in perpetuating this ageist stereotype. The interesting thing is that research shows that those who have a negative view on aging memory tend to perform worse in memory tasks. Therefore, society is limiting the capabilities of older adults if it continues to brush off these stereotypes and allow it to affect our aging population. In relation to my stereotype, my classmate’s project also touched on the idea that some older adults had cognitive capabilities comparable to 20-30 year olds. While memory decline may occur with age, there are aspects of memory that are preserved with age as well! Additionally, we must remember that aging is a diverse experience so genetics and activities that individuals engage in throughout their lives may affect their cognitive processes as they age. With this in mind, encourage others to think about how jokes can perpetuate ageist ideas and think of other ways to stop ageism from occurring. Foster social connections with older adults to prevent ageist ideas from developing in people of all ages but also to support older adults’ social and cognitive processes.
On another note, our group is making progress on our healthy aging project! Interviews are occurring and we keep all our project stuff in a shared folder so I love looking through the pictures of the older adults we interviewed (consent was granted before taking it!). Ideally, we should be finishing interviews next week so more to come on the next stage of our project -- video editing!
On another note, our group is making progress on our healthy aging project! Interviews are occurring and we keep all our project stuff in a shared folder so I love looking through the pictures of the older adults we interviewed (consent was granted before taking it!). Ideally, we should be finishing interviews next week so more to come on the next stage of our project -- video editing!