Shattering Stereotypes
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DOCONEOT RESUME ir RD17C ..285 CS 502 541) ) AUTHOR Freimuth, Vicki S.; Jamieson, Kathleen Comaunicating with'the Elderly: Shattering Stereotypes. -INSTITUTION . ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills, Urbana, Ill.; Speech ,Communication Association, Falls Church, V. SPONS AGENCY National:Inst. of Education (DREW), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE /9 CONTRACT 400-75-,0029 NOTE 4Ip.; Theory & Research Into Practice Series AVAILABLE 'FROM Speech Communication Association 5205 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia 22041($2.50 non-member, $2.25 member) EDRS MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. ) DESCRIPTORS Bias; ComaRnication (Thought Transfer) ; *Communication Problems; *Discriminatory Attitudes (Social); *Educational GaroW"..ology; Elementary Secondary EduCation; Gerontology;'Instructional Programs.; *Learning Actiiities; Mass' Mediai..*Older Adults;. Senior Citizens; *Stereotypes; Teaching . Techniques; Telelvision. IDENTIFIERS 'Information Analysis .Products ABS/RACT 'Designed to present communications problems faced by the elderly and to assist classroom teachers to develop activities for deiling with them, 'this booklbegins by examining stereotypes 9f older persons which minimize and distort communication with them. ..It out coimon misconceptiont about the elderly, centering on % , 4their state of wind, health, capacity for 'Work, interest in, life and , sexual activity, and financial. condition, and it Rotes tlat-despite television's Oaliacity to serve a number of functions fotrthe elderly, it reinforces such stereotypes in advertising and programing. The second part of the booklet provides exercises foruse in, a Unit-.6n communication and the elderly, designed to restructure patterns of communication that sanifest or reinforce negative Stereotypes about * older persons 'alid the aging process. Exercises are grouped iR the ,following four sectibnsys,diagnosimg attitudes toward the elderky; examining the vaxious media (television, magazine and children's "books) for positiveand negative stereotypes toward the aging; encouraging empathy with the elderly regarding their communications difficulties; and encouraging intergenerational communication. A list of Classroom .film., musical, and literary resources is included. IMF) A *********************************;************************************* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made , * ' from the original document. ' * ********************************************************************* S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPAIIO- DUCED,EXACTLY AS R§CEIVED Ftrionn, THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN. ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARtLY'REPRE- SENT OIFFICtAL NATIONAL IpTITUTE OF EDUCAIION POSITION OR OLICY Communicating with. the., Elderly: Shattering .Stereotypes 4 Viai S. Frtinitaii.. Unii\rusity of Mai land" Kathleen JamicsIrti flivr,it% of Mdt-1;91(1 Speech. CommunicatioAs tatibPubliCations.Board: Carroll Arnold. ,', Chairpetson,. Penns'ylniatate ivetsity; Hermann.Stelz,ner, University .of Massachusetts; Red Sjit th, Tpie finiversity;Milliatti: Work;; Speech Communication Assocaiton, e7y O icio / Consultant Readers: elissa Bela)eall Lincoln E High SChool; Lincoln / Nebraskai,fathleen G ort western University; Pahl Xrritscin, Northwestern UniVers Staff Editor,: Philip it& ',Zook Design':, Tom Kvacs. Published '1979 btit .ERIC ringhouse on Reading aod.:. Cornmunicatio s; 111'1 K on Roaci.nr.bana, Illinois...0001. and the .Speech Communtcat on Assoet t on,.5205 Leesburg Pike, Falls Clinrch, Virginia 22041. Ptih eginthe ited StateS. of America. ./ . The material in this .ublicatiOn waS preparecip,urstiant:to .aorftract. with the National Irtsitutof Edti n, U.S. Department of Healith'Education . and Welfare. Contra. toisiind ing'suc,h-prOjeCti under goyemmeiit m sponsorship are ene.u,raged to res.scfreely:their jucigtnsnt inpr.ctfessional . and technical .matter.. Prior: to liCatio,. themairusenot was subrnitted. ..to7the Speech Corn unication :anon facritical,teView and -,. deterritination, of lg. feSsional 'co -tence. Thispnblication has met standards. Poinii of iew oi.opi however, do nbipeOeSsarily tepresent' the official view or s pinions of eer,:the . Association or tht tional Instiitt e o t chicatfbn; II, c, . 0 t. 0. oil 1 T.Ite Edticat al. Resoitrcei nfcirmation Center (ERIC)" isa national inforrnatiOrt,Systerntlevt4 by ihe CIffice:,uf Education and now sppred National Institute of EduCation/(NIE).It provides itiPdy acOsS., in ..dTaairttiiia0,,call eifentlaryprograms, research and dei;e19Prrteht;effiir(1,-andrelate4inferntRion usefulin developing more effective. educational'programs , Throt4hits,netWork of S'PeCiPfhe(f elt4rscirclearinghouses; each resionSible fori particular eduttationaiarea; ERIC acquires; and'#idexel..Fictrefit iignificant,infonnation and z= 'lists tbae..,:infOrrnatiOn in"itS:ieferet*, has already niade aVailahliHthro the ERIC DOCuMerfe Reproduction ServicernUCNinforinatiVe uding all federally fundedresearch reportssine 0541.IloiveVO, if the findiitgs, cit sPeCificeducationaFiesearch-ate\:tO linketligible to teachers mitt 7 ?'il5plicit14e to fenehing, runs( be reera Ina ted: ,; :loCused, frans4:#0.7and tijOYitic!: into S.ientiilly.diffei4ntconteAfe. pr point: of king research reports readily *cessible,.:.14,IE has; difpfted, rate ERIC- clearinghouses to Cominissitinfinin recognized PUthorities inforniatiOn'analysispipersin SpeCificfireas , ° dition, as with feOraledtiOti infOrinadon efforts,' ERIC onepof. its primary gitall bridging the gap betweeneducational the ry-and! actual clasircintn' taT4tiCec,)pne,inetliotlof achieving that is ihedevelopment by .the ERId''.:CIearinghouseon Reading and Skilll (ERIC/12:74)',..:Of of sharply .cocuseti, bookIef.s; based. off'CbillitittC(04c0.9i*!''/if .Each boo> et' provides teachers with the best. esitiOtiOnal' theiry4andilor reSearch,on a limited .topiC.' It also presents :de s Dttlasliocim.-activities which are to the described theciy 'a d ASSISti the .teacher in:puttingitin§; ; ' ' idea, iS nnt unique: Several .echiCational jp als:and ,rimy' :com erpal. textbooks, provide it ars with sitipilar. /..The/EitiC/ RCbOokle4 are s wit in chair harp faces on an edfica;tiOnal. need d their tilend', of ,SOUnd-',acad 'tbeOry, with tested #, ,11 vi. 'f:Orie.ord practices. And they have been developed because of the in4ea,sing requeSts.fronu.teachers to provide this kind of serviic. 't opics for 'these booklets are retoritinerided by the ERIC:;RCS NatioriaLAdvisory Connriirtee. Suggestions for topic's to be considered by the' rnmiftee should:be directed tthe Clearinghouse, Bern trd 'O'Donnell Director, 'ERIC RCS' I 4 st 40 Breaking barriers to coguriunication between generationsjis the gene purpose of this booklet. It isidesigned fonser byse.cOndary classroom teachers who desire to sensitize their students to the ways in ;which language. reveals hidden judgMents about elderS and aging and to the ways in which media reinforce stereotypes about elders and aging. This " booklet Will. isolate and debunk those stereotypes aboutielders Which / o minimize and .distort-communicatio n with them; by /them, and about -them. By encouraging awareness. among 'students/ of some of jhe disabling communication -problems the' the elderly confront, it,is hoped.thaeyounger and older persons -will be helped to perceive each' other more accurately and"to enjoy more productive comnunication4 Intergenerativnal communication is an increasii*I}c important topic because for the first time inhistory millions of persons ate-living beyoOd the age of siXty-five. In the United States their' numbers' will peak hetween the years 2010 .and 2020 wheo.,pcts-war baby.boom Who in the 1960s diitrusted anyone over thirty--AO thennselves reach.. sixty-five. Between 1975 and 1995 (according to Series II Census data) \ the median age in. this country will rise fibril 28.8,years to 33.6 years. Those over sixty -five made up 10.5 percent.(approinnately 23 million) .* 6frhe U.S. population .in 1975; by 1995 they will comprise,lf .9 percent (approximately '30 million) of the population. Between 1975 and 2000, the. fiftyrfivr 'to sixiy-four age group will increase by 16 percent, the sixty:five to seventy -tout age.group by 23 percent, and the population seventy -five and over .by .60 percent. Experts project that the U.S. population' Will.assurne a stable age distribution only after 205b.. .The benefits orinterkeiwrational communication Ware many and bviou.s. Such communication may open rewarding relationshipS for th..ybung and old; 'provide each age group with access to the xperience Of the other, enable younger perso'ns to develop a clearer and ore personalized sense of the past, and help bOth older and younger persons to Understand and adept aging. BUt ffie barriers to intergenera- ti nal Conimtinication .are Many.: and they .require thoughtful conAld- o tic4if theyoung'and the old are to be freed to knOw one anOtherwell. ... '2 7 Communicating with the Elderly Facto!,That -Ninimizr andbistortCommunic:ation between Generations \ . , .4,}Nh, en younger and older people li come together to communicate, a , '''' corn -plex process begins, no different froin ally othel communication encounter. We initially form some kind (if inlpressioNof the person with whom we are communicating. This intression rotgrsour reactions to the other persn and partially determines the way in which thatperson will respond to us. This process of forming impressionS' and making judgments