Using the term elderly for a person who is robust and independent as well as for a person who is frail and dependent says little about the individual

Avers, Dale

Brown, Marybeth

Chui, Kevin

Lusardi, Michelle M.

Wong, Rita A.

English

Sacred Heart University: DigitalCommons@SHU

Sacred Heart UniversityDigitalCommons@SHUAll PTHMS Faculty Publications Physical Therapy & Human Movement Science10-2011Use of the Term "Elderly"Dale AversMarybeth BrownKevin ChuiSacred Heart University, chuik@sacredheart.eduRita A. WongMichelle M. LusardiSacred Heart University, lusardim@sacredheart.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/pthms_facPart of the Geriatrics Commons, and the Physical Therapy CommonsThis Editorial is brought to you for free and open access by the Physical Therapy & Human Movement Science at DigitalCommons@SHU. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in All PTHMS Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@SHU. For more information, pleasecontact ferribyp@sacredheart.edu, lysobeyb@sacredheart.edu.Recommended CitationAvers, Dale et al. "Use of the Term "Elderly"." Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy 34.4 (2011):153-4.Journal of GERIATRIC Physical Therapy 153EditorialEditor’s Message: Use of the Term “Elderly”The terms senile, demented, and aged are unfortunate terms once in commonuse among physical therapy personnel. While these terms have mostly dis-appeared, there is still a term in common use that needs to disappear, theterm elderly.Terms tend to be convenient but suffer stereotyping through their generalizationand lack of specificity. Thus, using the term elderly for a person who is robust andindependent as well as for a person who is frail and dependent says little about theindividual. Since older individuals become more heterogeneous with age, a specificdescriptor such as elderly is inaccurate and misleading. For example, asked to describean 82-year-old woman would provoke little agreement and much discussion based onpersonal experiences. Eighty-two-year-old women run marathons and 82-year-oldwomen are bed ridden. Which is the accurate description?The term elderly is ageist. Ageist terms are those terms in which a stereotype ispromulgated and treatment is delivered differently on the basis of age.1 Ageism, likeracism and sexism, is a form of prejudice or prejudgment that shapes perceptions.Ageist terms tend to diminish older adults, yet ageism is rampant in health care,stereotyping older folks as sick, frail, and physically dependent. Ageism can result inless care, less robust care, and negatively affect outcomes.2None of us would demonstrate ageism by using patronizing speech when inter-acting with older adults or talking baby-talk. Yet, the use of the term elderly persists.In a survey of major medical journals from 1996 through 2006, all used the termelderly and 3 of the 4 major geriatric journals preferred the term elderly over olderadults at a rate of 4:1 over general journals.3The term elderly lacks an equal and opposite term pederly; unlike geriatrics versus pediatrics that describes an area of medicine and health care. The term elderlyis often used to describe frail individuals; without applying the well-known andvalid criteria of frailty.4 Furthermore, older adults do not like the term elderlyapplied to themselves, even if they use the term to describe someone else! AEuropean survey asking older individuals their preferred term indicated a prefer-ence for older or senior and strongly rejected terms aged, old, and most stronglyelderly. In 1995, the United Nations Committee on Economic Social and CulturalRights of Older Persons rejected the term elderly in preference for the term olderpersons.5 Additionally, a media guide issued by The International LongevityCenter, headed then by Robert Butler, recommended the term older adults oversenior and elderly. The report states, “After all, we don’t refer to people under 50as ‘junior citizens’.”6It is time our language use matures. Using terms that are precise, accurate, value-free and that older adults prefer makes a good sense. The term older adult orolder person is respectful and should be the standard term in this journal. ❍—Dale Avers, DPT, PhD; Marybeth Brown, PT, PhD, FAPTA;Kevin K. Chui, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, GCS;Rita A. Wong, PT, PhD;Michelle Lusardi, PT, DPT, PhDCopyright © 2011 The Section on Geriatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.The author declares no conflict of interest.10.1519/JPT.0b013e31823ab7ecJPT200128_JGPT  12/11/11  4:56 AM  Page 153REFERENCES1. Palmore EB. Ageism: Negative and Positive. 2nd ed. New York, NY: SpringerPublishing Company Inc; 1999.2. Nemmers TM. The influence of ageism and ageist stereotypes on the elderly.Phys Occup Ther Geriatr. 2004;22(4):11-20.3. Quinlan N, O’Neill D. “Older” or “elderly”—are medical journals sensitive to thewishes of older people? J Am Geriat Soc. 2008;56(10):1984.4. Fried LP, Tangen CM, Walston J, et al. Frailty in older adults: evidence for aphenotype. J Gerontol Med Sci. 2001;56A(3):M146-M156.5. United Nations Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. The Economic,Social and Cultural Rights of Older Persons. 1995.6. Dahmen NS, Cozma R, eds. Media takes on aging. www.aging.org. Published 2009.Editorial154 Volume 34 • Number 4 • October-December 2011Copyright © 2011 The Section on Geriatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.Call For ManuscriptsThe Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy (JGPT) is actively seekingSystematic Reviews as they relate to physical therapy for older adults.Potential topics of interest include:• Metabolic syndrome / insulin resistant syndrome. The effect of exercise oninsulin resistance and functional ability in older adults with metabolic syn-drome.• Spinal mobilization. The effect of spinal mobilization on pain and functionin older adults with spinal dysfunctions.• Peripheral mobilizations. The effect of peripheral mobilizations on painand function in older adults with peripheral joint dysfunctions (targetingshoulder, hip, or knee as the primary peripheral joints to focus on).• Impact of footwear on gait. Effect of footwear on distance walked and jointpain in older adults participating in walking/running exercise programs.For full instructions for authors and to submit online, visit www.jgpt.org andclick “For Authors.”JPT200128_JGPT  12/11/11  4:56 AM  Page 154

Use of the Term  Elderly

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Use of the Term Elderly

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