In 'Sweetie' and 'Dear,' a Hurt for the Elderly

[7 October 2008 - New York Times] Professionals call it elderspeak, the sweetly belittling form of address that has always rankled older people: the doctor who talks to their child rather than to them about their health; the store clerk who assumes that an older person does not know how to work a computer, or needs to be addressed slowly or in a loud voice. Then there are those who address any elderly person as "dear." "People think they're being nice," said Elvira Nagle, 83, of Dublin, Calif., "but when I hear it, it raises my hackles." Now studies are finding that the insults can have health consequences, especially if people mutely accept the attitudes behind them, said Becca Levy, an associate professor of epidemiology and psychology at Yale University, who studies the health effects of such messages on elderly people. "Those little insults can lead to more negative images of aging," Dr. Levy said. "And those who have more negative images of aging have worse functional health over time, including lower rates of survival." More