While more than 40 percent of elderly people in Taiwan consider themselves a burden to their family or society and more than 60 percent consider themselves unhealthy, fewer young people hold negative stereotypes of them, according to a survey by the Health and Promotion Administration (HPA).
The agency yesterday released its survey results on common stereotypes of the elderly (above 65 years old), which showed that elderly people have a more negative perception about their abilities and health condition than other age groups.
According to the survey, 68 percent of elderly people say they are capable of solving problems, while 44.3 percent consider themselves a burden to others, 48.3 percent view themselves as being unable to work and 61 percent think they are physically weak or often ill.
However, the overall attitude toward elderly people’s abilities and health conditions are not as negative as their self-perceptions, with a majority of young people aged between 15 and 29 holding positive views toward the elderly.
On average, 78.8 percent agreed that elderly people have the ability to solve problems, while 33.7 percent viewed them as physically weak or often ill, 22.7 percent considered them as having no working ability and only 20.8 percent thought they are a burden.
HPA Director-General Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞) said that “when the elderly reach a certain age, they might think ‘I’m old and useless’ or ‘I’m ill,’ but in fact society does not view them in this way.”
Although nearly 90 percent of elderly people are diagnosed with at least one chronic disease and about 50 percent have three types of chronic diseases, having a chronic disease does not equal to physical weakness, Chou said, adding that the elderly should break through negative stereotypes instead of underestimating themselves.
With the WHO promoting the concept of “active aging” in 2002, encouraging the elderly to take part in safe activities to enhance their health, the HPA also encourages them to attend group performance competitions held by the agency, she said.
A total of 1,951 teams composed of more than 82,000 elderly people participated in the competition last year, the agency said, adding that the competition is also being held this year.
The survey was conducted last year through telephone surveys of 24,624 people above 15 years old.
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