The Everyday Ageism Project

The Everyday Ageism Project aims to capture people’s everyday experiences of ageism. Research by EURAGE shows that across the European region, ageism is the most commonly experienced form of prejudice, yet relatively little is known about how it is experienced, who experiences it and the situations which may leave people vulnerable to age discrimination.

By providing a safe forum for people to anonymously share their experiences, the project aims to understand the consequences of ageism and the ways that age discrimination can affect people’s everyday lives. We also wish to encourage people to share their stories to show that ageism does exist and that it is a valid problem worth discussing.


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Tuesday 4 December 2012

Patronising Treatment in Hospital

28 year old female tells how her 86 year old grandfather was patronised in hospital


"Whilst in hospital my grandfather was spoken to as if he was a child. He was told that he was using his razor incorrectly even though he had used it that way for years.  Despite the fact that he was a coherent educated man the nurse spoke to me about him as if he wasn't there and then talked to him as if he was a delinquent. She was really rude in her tone."

[This made me feel] "unhappy, embarrassed for him and cross."

The nurse was estimated to be 30 years of age.

1 comment:

  1. Hi
    Have you challenged the nurse? If not, you absolutely should. Behaviour of such people will never change if nobody ever corrects them or challenges them. I am guilty myself of being too sheepish to challenge such people, but I strongly believe that this is the most effective way of fighting ageism.
    Complaining to their managers never works (because the manager will be too sheepish to do anything, and because they go on the defensive); reporting to the media will take too long to filter through; and to do research and wait until its results get published and influence the society - well, life is too short for this - certainly your grandfather will not see any changes in his lifetime.
    If you challenge the nurse, she will probably be shocked, because she never thought that she did anything wrong. She is stuck in this mindset, and she will probably be surprised, and also quite scared that the client is openly unhappy. This will make her think - and certainly worry that she might be challenged again, by somebody who might be more trouble than well-behaved you...

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