Age
Resources
- Caregiving Coverage Style Guide
- Child Exploitation and Abuse: An Appropriate Language Guide | The Children’s Society and the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC)
- Guidelines for Age-Inclusive Communication [PDF] | Changing the Narrative
- ICAA’s Guidelines for Effective Communication With Older Adults [PDF] | International Council on Active Aging
- Media Takes: On Aging [PDF] | International Longevity Centre
- Old School: Anti-Ageism Clearinghouse
Articles
The importance of not alienating an economically powerful population
"This is not about nine letters that form four syllables—it’s about the motivation behind them."
- "'Elderly' No More" | The New York Times
Language to use when talking about people 65 or older
- "Elderspeak: The Language of Ageism in Healthcare" | OUPblog
- “In ‘Sweetie’ and ‘Dear,’ a Hurt for the Elderly” | The New York Times
On using disingenuous terms such as young lady when talking to an older woman
- "Let’s Talk About ‘Project Runway’ Stars Using ‘Old Lady’ to Describe Unflattering Clothes" | The Washington Post
“'Old lady' is not just an adjective married to a noun. It’s not a nonjudgmental fact. To tell someone not to be such an old lady is to say: Don’t be fearful. Or don’t be a whiner. It’s a description of invisibility. Of unsightliness."
- "The Myth of the ‘Underage Woman’" | The Atlantic
- "Use of the Term 'Elderly'" | Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy
How "convenient" terms in health care, such as elderly, perpetuates stereotypes
- "When Does Someone Become ‘Old’?" | The Atlantic
Older may be catching on because it seems to irritate the smallest number of people.
“We find this language to be inaccurate because these children are under the age of consent, and it’s inconsistent with federal law and most states’ anti-trafficking laws, which consider these children victims of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking.”—Yasmin Vafa, cofounder of Human Rights for Girls
A glossary of words to use—such as experienced, wise, seasoned, mature—or avoid—such as young, of a certain age, elderly, adorable—when describing older people.
- "Why Language Matters: Why We Should Never Use ‘Child Pornography’ and Always Say Child Sexual Abuse Material" | National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
- "Young People and Ageist Language" | Conscious Style Guide