Valuable insights as to how we speak about our clients as Age Pros.
Generations always come with names. GenX, GenY, GenZ, Millennial. Attributes are given diverse, digitally savvy, educated, entrepreneurial, inclusive. So, how do we speak about our clients as Age Pros?
What exactly happens as each generation ages? 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day. And in one day they go from boomers to what? Seniors, Elders, Geriatrics, Senior Citizens?
It’s curious. There are currently 62 million people 65 and over living in the US. That’s 18% of our population according to Pew Research. Aging is a one-billion-dollar industry but we just can’t find a name that fits. One that does justice to the insanely wide range of people currently lumped into one demographic-the elderly. 65-105 is a 40-year span of pretty diverse life experiences. It covers people born in 1920’s to the 1960’s. Can one name really do justice to all? Does how we speak about our clients as Age Pros really matter?
Well, yes names do manner. The effects of name-signaling—what names say about ethnicity, religion, social sphere, and socioeconomic background was part of a study done between 1994 and 2001according to a New Yorker article. In psychology, names can signal identify, personality traits, social status and lead to stereotyping and social judgements.
Being called a senior citizen, elderly, old, well, you name it, isn’t exactly welcomed. It invites too much negative stereotyping as infirm, aged and out of touch. Makes sense when you think about how anti-aging products are projected to be an $80 billion dollar industry. In the next five years.
The National Institute on Aging advises avoiding words or phrases that may perpetuate negative attitudes:
- Don’t use words that may have negative connotations, such as “the aged,” “elderly,” “senior,” “senior citizen,” and “boomer.”
- Avoid the term “elders” except when referencing American Indian/Alaska Natives, for whom this term may be preferred and culturally appropriate.
- The term “geriatrics” refers to the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care and treatment of older people. Avoid using “geriatric” to describe individuals or groups of people.
- Consider that terms including “aging well” and “successful aging” imply there’s a right way and a wrong way to age, placing the responsibility for healthy aging on the individual.
- Euphemisms like “of a certain age” might suggest there’s something shameful about aging.
They go on to suggest choosing terminology that promotes a respectful, positive attitude toward older people and aging while still being descriptive and accurate. For example: neutral terms such as “older adults,” “older populations,” and “people over age X” to describe groups of people. And many professionals recognize the need for change. For example, Geriatric Care Managers now prefer the title Aging Life Care Professionals.
If you have other examples, we’d love to hear them. Reach us at info@agepros.net.
Older? Elder? Senior Citizen? Without a doubt, how we speak and market our services impacts the success of our business. More importantly, how we speak about our clients also matters. A lot. That conversation has the power to broadcast our respect for their individuality and dignity. Think back, for example, to how some were so cavalier about the health of our older population at the start of the COVID epidemic. That language was anything but respectful. Our language, as much as our actions can champion the health and well being of our older population.
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