How These Myths Fuel Ageism

 Ageism doesn’t usually begin with cruelty. It begins with assumptions.

When younger people believe that seniors are unhappy, wealthy, confused, resistant, or irrelevant, those beliefs quietly shape decisions, about hiring, health care, housing, transportation, technology, and community design. Language changes. Patience shortens. Voices are dismissed.

These myths create an environment where ageism can flourish without being named.

They show up when older workers are passed over “just in case.”
When services are moved online without support.
When policy decisions are justified by stereotypes instead of evidence.
When older adults are spoken about, but not spoken with.

Perhaps the most damaging myth is the idea that ageing itself is the problem.

Ageing is not the problem. Ageism is.

Ageism limits opportunity, isolates people, and weakens communities. It also harms younger people by teaching them to fear their own future. When we challenge myths about ageing, we’re not just defending seniors, we’re reshaping what it means to grow older in this province.

As the Seniors Advocate rightly urges, this work begins with reflection. It continues with language, curiosity, and conversation. And it becomes real when policies and practices recognize older adults not as stereotypes, but as people.

Because the truth is simple:
We are all ageing, just at different speeds.