BY: A disgruntled Rockland County Senior
Community newspapers are a place for residents to give their opinions about current topics in the form of editorials. One such editorial was sent to the Rockland Post recently on the topic of Ageism and the discrimination associated with it.
Discrimination is a major topic in the news around the country. Many people claim they are being discriminated against because of the protected groups they belong to, LGBTQA+, African American, Latino, etc… Seniors are not listed as one of these protected groups.
Senior citizens are one group of people who are discriminated against, but no one is aware of it because many of the seniors are not mobile. Many are suffering from mental decline and are unaware of the fact that they are being abused or discriminated against. As such there are no protests, marches or petitions sent to government officials or lawsuits raising awareness of this problem.
Unfortunately, today, seniors who retire from their careers have trouble surviving on their pensions and social security benefits and have to get a part time job. A lot of times these jobs are in retail or fast-food industries.
One person related a story to me about a colleague, working in a retail establishment in Rockland, who was also a senior, had a comment made to her that was very inappropriate and bordered on discriminatory. The female colleague had to use the restroom during her work time. A younger manager who was on the floor at the time said to the worker, “We’re very busy now. You should think about using diapers in the future.”
The worker was shocked and upset about this comment. She was crying and when asked about going to HR to complain, she said she was afraid to because she might lose the job and she needed it just to survive.
State Senator Bill Weber does a senior fair every year at RCC. I have been to this event a number of times and have witnessed the many vendors who deal with senior issues like social security, safety, investments, health insurance, and many others come, donate their time to help seniors navigate these issues. Over 1000 seniors attend these events. Some have to have aides with them pushing them in their wheel chairs, others utilizing walkers and canes to get around.
Even with this help, more needs to be done to deal with the discrimination facing seniors.
Many seniors in Rockland County are facing challenges that go beyond rising rents and limited incomes. As a senior and disabled tenant living on a fixed retirement income supplemented by a small part-time job, I’ve struggled to manage a $200 monthly rent increase since COVID. I’ve also dealt with a non-working kitchen sink and persistent litter around my building, problems I reported in writing to my landlord — without timely resolution. For the most part, the landlord has been helpful over the years but recovering from a hospital stay makes these ongoing issues especially difficult.
Living in Rockland is expensive, and many older residents rely on fixed incomes. Jobs for seniors are scarce, and in workplaces — especially retail and service industries — older employees often face disrespect, exclusion, and stereotyping. Many report being laughed at by younger coworkers or dismissed by managers. HR complaints about unfair treatment are frequently ignored, leaving seniors reluctant to speak up. As one retail worker explained, “HR never took my complaint seriously about being talked down to by a younger supervisor. I was told to ‘just fit in better’ instead of addressing the behavior.” Others are left out of training, scheduled for fewer shifts, or treated as less capable, even when they are experienced and skilled.
This is a form of ageism — an unspoken prejudice that makes life harder for seniors. Many are afraid to report problems, knowing that every job matters, every shift counts, and replacement work is hard to find. If the complainant were a transgender person, a woman, or part of another protected group, concerns might be taken more seriously — but seniors are often overlooked.
Organizations like AARP and local senior advocacy programs try to help seniors navigate housing, employment, and health challenges. They offer resources, legal guidance, and community support. But unfortunately, seniors are not part of the “woke protected class” that gets the same level of attention or societal urgency, leaving many older adults to manage on their own.
Ageism in Rockland affects housing, work, and daily respect. Seniors deserve safe and habitable housing, fair work treatment, and the dignity of being heard. We might not have purple hair or nose rings, but we are Americans — we’ve voted for decades, paid taxes for over 50 years, and helped build this country and this community. In many European countries, seniors are cared for; here, we are too often overlooked.
To politicians and community leaders: we matter, and it’s time our voices are heard and our rights protected.
One buzz word from these protected groups is inclusion. They feel they are not included solely because of what they are. Seniors are sometimes summarily dismissed because they are old and people react to them as if they are not cognizant of what they are saying.
In many cultures, elders are revered and held in high esteem and continue to be functioning and contributing members of the society. Families see to the care of their elder relatives in their homes until the day they pass away.
In the United States, when we were all growing up, we would go to our elder grandparents when we had a problem because they had the wisdom, knowledge and experience garnered over their lifetime to help us solve what we were dealing with. How do we thank them, when they become infirmed, or seem to be losing their cognitive abilities, we put them in nursing homes, and many times the family doesn’t even go to visit them.
Hey, protected groups – inclusion matters so it’s time we add seniors to the protected groups we celebrate. Experience, wisdom, and decades of contribution belong in the conversation too. SLM (Senior Lives Matter).