YSM Issue 86.3

PUBLIC HEALTH
that children may one day have to care for
their parents, she acknowledges that some
others do not feel this way. In fact, DeLucca
admits that many, perhaps unwittingly,
approach aging with little understanding and
patience.
Recent policy debates can also help to
explain the extensive nature of these stereotypes.
In the midst of the economic crisis,
funding debates have fueled what Levy calls
“intergenerational tension,” pitting areas such
as youth education and elderly care against
one another in what she believes is a “false
dichotomy.” Inevitably, financial troubles will
lead to hard decisions being made, but framing
them in this manner may be evidence of
the elusive stereotypes at play. In addition,
Levy’s studies have demonstrated relationships
between TV and social media exposure,
to negative aging stereotypes and health
outcomes as these media outlets readily disparage
aging and rarely highlight empowered
elderly figures. Images portraying the elderly
fumbling around, for example, may proffer a
good laugh today but become damaging to
our health once we inevitably age. In a way, we
are promoting self-fulfilling prophecies as the
negative stereotypes evolve in self-perception.
The steps to adjust stereotypes may seem
ambiguous, but Levy’s findings are already
paving the way for practical solutions on an
international scale. For example, the United
Nations is currently working to strengthen
human rights for the elderly, which will impact
policy on a global level to reduce negative
applications. Several European countries
are also beginning to consider aging in government-level
initiatives. And domestically,
the U.S. government is currently reviewing
“ageism” policies, especially concerning
images in the media and marketing.
Graying with Glory
At an arguably opportune time, these
studies may be pointing to the beginning of
reconsiderations in how we think about aging.
Robert Butler, the founder of the National
Institutes on Aging, echoes these ideas in his
book, The Longevity Revolution. Rather than
thinking of the growing graying population
as a burden, he suggests that we look at them
as an opportunity and take advantage of
what they can offer. In a similar vein, Nortin
Handler begins his recent book, aptly titled
Rethinking Aging by saying that “aging, dying,
and death are not diseases.”
These scholars assert that we need to look
at aging as not necessarily negative. Centuries
of erosion carved out the Grand Canyon,
and the aging of fermented grapes produces
the most treasured wines. Riches of similar
value lie within the world’s graying population
— we just need to be open to finding
this silver lining.
Ultimately, how we act and think now can
have a very direct impact on how we live in
the future. Aging and its associated diseases
are far from solely being problems of the
elderly. We will all grapple with these natural
processes in some form or another: aging is
everyone’s business.
After four years of being mute and living
in a nursing home, Carol passed away on
October 24, 2012. It was undeniably a trying
time for her family, but DeLucca chooses to
remember her mother for everything she was,
to honor her, to share her story. In the spirit
of redefining aging, DeLucca started a blog
documenting her journey with her mother’s
illness and writes in her most recent post not
of the disease, but of her mother as a “selfless
and caring” woman, “an avid bowler,” and
an aficionado of dance and music. She was a
chemist, a teacher, “a survivor.”
About the Author
IMAGE COURTESY OF WENDY DELUCCA
Mother Carol Orlando (left) and daughter Wendy DeLucca (right) pose for a photo
at DeLucca’s wedding in 2004.
William Zhang is a senior Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology major
in Ezra Stiles College. He is interested in aging and neurodegenerative disease.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Professors Joan Monin and Becca Levy, Maria Tomasetti,
and Wendy DeLucca for sharing their stories, expertise, and insights on aging.
Further Reading
• Levy, B. R., Slade, M. D., Murphy, T. E., & Gill, T. M. (2012). Association between
Positive Age Stereotypes and Recovery from Disability in Older Persons. JAMA,
308, 1972-1973.
• Monin, J. K., Schulz, R., Martire, L. M., Jennings, J. R., Lingler, J. H., & Greenberg,
M. S. (2010). Spouses’ cardiovascular reactivity to their partners’ suffering. Journals
of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 65B, 2, 195-201.
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April 2013 | Yale Scientific Magazine 17