In previous blogs, I have spoken out on age discrimination in the workplace, but unfortunately age discrimination comes in many shapes and sizes.  Last week my 88 year old Mother came face to face with age discrimination at its ugliest.  

My Mother is a widow who lives alone and is proud that she is still sound of mind and able to take care of most of her own needs.  Last week she drove to a doctor’s appointment and then decided to go to Target because there was a sale on a medication she takes.  She had been to the store many times so she went directly to the medication aisle.  As she turned to enter the aisle, a younger woman wheeling a shopping cart followed her.  A short time later, the woman turned her cart to block the aisle and a man came at my Mother from the opposite end of the aisle urging the woman to move her cart and proceeded to bump my Mother twice.  Her wallet containing $84, two Macy’s gift cards she had received for her 88^th birthday, a credit card and various forms of identification were stolen.   The police officer that attended to her told her that it was not uncommon for senior citizens to be robbed in this way.  She, however, already knew this because she had been physically attacked and robbed a couple of years earlier when walking with a friend after leaving a restaurant.

In both instances, “I felt both violated and humiliated.  Violated because instead of getting the respect I believed that age should bring, I was victimized simply because I was old.  Humiliated because I felt helpless to defend myself or deal with the stress caused by the robberies.”  It has now been five days and she hasn’t left her apartment yet.  As I sit here in anger and reflect on my Mother’s words, it has become clear to me that her words would also apply to someone victimized by age discrimination in the workplace.  Being laid off or replaced by an employer that seems totally indifferent to years of loyal and productive service has most certainly left many feeling violated.  The empty feeling of uncertainty as you begin to question whether you still have what it takes to continue your career when you know that your family is depending on you, can be both frightening and humiliating.

Age discrimination in any form is just plain wrong!