I want you to think for a second about the last few times you saw someone your age talked about in the media. Or in a movie. Or a TV show. Did they seem old, infirm, or were running the risk of dementia?
But is that really your truth?
I’d bet not!
These ageist beliefs are part of what sparked Ashton Applewhite to write This Chair Rocks. In it, she traces her journey from an apprehensive boomer to a pro-aging radical – and I loved every second of it!
Busting Ageist Myths
In This Chair Rocks, Applewhite debunks myth after myth about late life. She helps us to understand where these beliefs came from, and how it divides and debases us as we age.
Applewhite points out:
Only 2.5% of Americans over 65 live in nursing homes. Older people enjoy better mental health than the young or middle-aged. Dementia rates are falling, fast. So how come so many of us unthinkingly assume that depression, diapers, and dementia lie ahead? That the 20th century’s astonishing leap in life expectancy is a disaster-in-the making? Underlying all the hand-wringing is ageism: discrimination that sidelines and silences older people.”
An All-Age-Friendly World
Our entire culture is about recapturing our youth or staying young to begin with, but Applewhite examines what an all-age-friendly world could look like. She examines the ageist stereotypes that cripple the way our brains and bodies function, exposes the ageist beliefs in the workplace and the bedroom, and critiques our overall view of olders being a burden to society.
Applewhite doesn’t just ask the questions and busts the myths. She ends her book with a rousing call to action that leaves reviewers amazed.
In fact, reviews consistently call it “Invigorating”, a “Denial-shattering read,” “Required reading for both youngsters and ‘olders’”, and an “Important book to read.”
If you’re looking for a book to help you think through your older years and how to bust those ageist myths (even in your own mind), I cannot recommend this book enough!
