Use of the Term “Elderly”

Avers, Dale; Brown, Mark G.; Chui, Kevin K.; Wong, Rita; Lusardi, Michelle M.

doi:10.1519/jpt.0b013e31823ab7ec

Cited by 36 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Even though most terms we use as part of our vocabulary are convenient, they tend to stereotype people because of their generalisation and lack of specificity (Avers et al , 2011), giving very little room for making sense of personal lived-experiences. In this case, the terms ‘older people’, ‘older adults’, ‘older persons’, ‘senior citizens’, ‘elders’ and ‘elderly’ have been used interchangeably in academic literature, medical reports and media to refer to people aged 60 and over.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ageing, old age and older adults: a social media analysis of dominant topics and discourses

2019

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Whilst representations of old age and older people in traditional media have been well documented, examinations of such representations within social media discourse are still scarce. This is an unfortunate omission because of the importance of social media for communication in contemporary society. In this study, we combine content analysis and discourse analysis to explore patterns of representation on Twitter around the terms ageing, old age, older people and elderly with a sample of 1,200 tweets. Our analysis shows that ‘personal concerns/views’ and ‘health and social care’ are the predominant overall topics, although some topics are clearly linked with specific keywords. The language often used in the tweets seems to reinforce negative discourses of age and ageing that locate older adults as a disempowered, vulnerable and homogeneous group; old age is deemed a problem and ageing is considered something that needs to be resisted, slowed or disguised. These topics and discursive patterns are indeed similar to those found in empirical studies of social perceptions and traditional media portrayal of old age, which indicates that social media and Twitter in particular appears to serve as an online platform that reproduces and reinforces existing ageist discourses in traditional media that feed into social perceptions of ageing and older people.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ageing, old age and older adults: a social media analysis of dominant topics and discourses

2019

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“…Aging is an irreversible, multifactorial and stochastic process [ 1 , 2 ] where not necessarily, nor homogeneously, the capabilities and integrative adaptive responses of the older adults [ 3 ] deteriorate [ 4 , 5 ]. This is due, but not limited, to impaired metabolic, cardiovascular and endocrine functions [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]; structural, physiological and functional changes in the musculoskeletal system [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]; the worsening of the coupling of fascial tissue, skeletal muscle and nerves [ 11 ] and altered neural regulation, with autonomic dysfunction [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 12 ] and reduced immune and anti-inflammatory responses [ 2 , 5 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short and Long-Term Trainability in Older Adults: Training and Detraining Following Two Years of Multicomponent Cognitive—Physical Exercise Training

Blasco-Lafarga

Cordellat

Forte

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Despite the benefits of multicomponent physical–cognitive training programs (MCCogTPs), lower training intensities in the concurrent approach, and bigger heterogeneity with aging, suggest the need for long-term analyses, with special attention to training and detraining in older adults. The present study aims to examine these training/detraining effects in a two year MCCogTP, looking for specific dynamics in the trainability of their physical and cognitive capacities. The intervention was divided into four periods: T1, T2 (8 months of training each), and D1, D2 (3.5 months of detraining plus 0.5 of testing each). Twenty-five healthy seniors (70.82 ± 5.18 years) comprised the final sample and were assessed for cardiovascular fitness (6-minutes walking test), lower-limbs strength (30-seconds chair-stand test) and agility (8-feet timed up-and-go test). Inhibition (Stroop test) was considered for executive function. Physical and cognitive status improved significantly (p < 0.05) throughout the two years, with larger enhancements for physical function (mainly strength and agility). Strength and cardiovascular fitness were more sensitive to detraining, whilst agility proved to have larger training retentions. Inhibition followed an initial similar trend, but it was the only variable to improve along D2 (d = 0.52), and changes were not significant within periods. Notwithstanding aging, and the exercise cessation in D2, physical and cognitive status remained enhanced two years later compared to baseline, except for lower-limb strength. According to these results, basic physical capacities are very sensitive to training/detraining, deserving continuous attention (especially strength). Both reducing detraining periods and complementary resistance training should be considered. Additionally, physical enhancements following MCcogTPs may help cognition maintenance during detraining.

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“…Age-friendly community assessments might consider using alternative and affirmative language to reach older adults. Extant research found that the term “elderly” has been reported to be ageist and discriminatory against the population of older individuals ( Avers, Brown, Chui, Wong, & Lusardi, 2011 ). In a study conducted of individuals above the age of 65 years, persons who were older rejected the terms aged and elderly ( Walker, 1993 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Social Construction of “Emerging Elders”: Implications for Age-Friendly Community Assessments

Adorno

Felderhoff

et al. 2018

Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

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The term “emerging elders” has surfaced in age-friendly community assessment tools to denote a subset of older adults; however, limited guidance is provided on its application to aging populations. The goal of this study was to develop a data-driven conceptualization of “emerging elders” as part of an age-friendly community assessment. Adults, aged 55 years and above, were asked about their subjective meaning of “emerging elder” within the context of a larger study of aging well in a large U.S. metropolitan city. Using inductive and deductive methods, the researchers analyzed qualitative data (N = 38) collected from individual interviews with homebound older adults (n = 15) and participants of three focus groups (n = 23). Four themes suggest that emerging elderhood is related to chronological age, functional ability, transitions, and self-identity. Findings suggest that the term emerging elderhood may foster negative images of older adults consistent with Western cultural discourse, despite the positive connotations associated with “emerging elder” in indigenous and spiritual communities. Findings underscore the need to further refine age-friendly community assessments that take into account the social constructions ascribed to older adults and need for strategies to engage emerging elders in future research of age-friendly communities.

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Use of the Term “Elderly”

Cited by 36 publications

References 2 publications

Ageing, old age and older adults: a social media analysis of dominant topics and discourses

Ageing, old age and older adults: a social media analysis of dominant topics and discourses

Short and Long-Term Trainability in Older Adults: Training and Detraining Following Two Years of Multicomponent Cognitive—Physical Exercise Training

The Social Construction of “Emerging Elders”: Implications for Age-Friendly Community Assessments

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