Jacob Capron
Staff Writer
The Wyoming Economic Analysis Division reports the percentage of people in the elderly category, defined as aged 65 years and older, increased by 3.8% from 2016 to 2017. Wyoming currently is in line with the nation’s average when it comes to people aged 65 and older at 15%.
While in American we are obsessed with youth and youth culture, such as moms trying to fit into their daughters’ jeans, we tend to forget to look positively at and celebrate those who have led long and full lives.
The University of Wyoming Center on Aging is doing just that, in conjunction with their move to their new office space in Ross Hall. The organization is hosting the Wyoming Heritage Photo Contest, designed to capture the lives and legacy of elders in Wyoming. The contest has been open to submissions since Feb. 24 and is set to close March 27.
“[The UW Center of Aging is] nice and respectful. It’s a nice thought, [that elderly] people can feel not needed,” said Taylor Campbell, a UW freshman.
The Center for Aging provides services that revolve around providing and supporting education and training of both healthcare students and professionals in geriatrics. Catherine Carrico, associate director for the center, said there is a significant gap in professionals who have been trained in geriatrics, and so the Center on Aging is attempting to help meet that need by filling the void at the educational level.
Centers like this one might become more commonplace and very soon. According to RuralHealthInfo.org, 1 in 5 Americans will be included in the elderly category as the last of the baby boomers begin to enter into that age cohort by 2030.
“I don’t see that as a bad thing, elderly people are usually retired, not contributing to society, that’s why you have a job, right? So we have jobs to prepare for that,” said Costa Papas, a UW freshman.
One of the most common images seen in media of the elderly reflects this agism: elderly people usually walking with a cane or walker, and are usually sick.
The contest is looking to showcase aging in a positive light through admissions from students and other community members. Carrico said that through the photo contest, they “hope to show community engagement and counteract stereotypes and ageism, a phenomena where [elderly] people get lumped into one group.”
“There is an association with disability… [a] lack of association with wisdom and history, the perspective that comes from having survived and thrived,” Carrion said.
Papas also talked about Carrico’s wisdom, that through the course of their lives, elderly people have gained wisdom that could help many young people when they need advice to move in the right direction in life.
“They are important and they shouldn’t be disregarded,” said Carrion.
Perhaps the wisdom of the elderly will help the next generation thrive and become elderly themselves.
