The Reality of Discrimination

Recently, there has been considerable hub-ub in the media about age discrimination. According to a recent article on MSN Money, job hunters over the age of 55 report having a difficult time landing a job. On average, older job hunters reported spending 47 weeks looking for employment before finally landing a gig.

Federal laws protecting anyone north of 40 yrs against discrimination have been on the books since 1967. In spite of our well intentioned efforts, discrimination against older adults continues to thrive in this country.

Can we have a grown up conversation about discrimination? A real conversation where everyone puts on their big-boy(girl) pants and agrees not to throw a temper tantrum if they don't like what they read?

Discrimination exists.
-What?!
-How dare you!
-Of all the...!
-I am taking my toys and going home!

Phew. Now that we are rid of those people we may continue.

I openly discriminate. I discriminate in my daily life. Last night I was approaching the check out lines at Super Target. One checker was clearly superior to the other options. One checker had multiple piercings and tattoos. One checker was a female. One checker was African-American. One checker was older. One checker looked to have been a member of some sort of Bieber-cult. I surmised my options and discriminated. It would serve no purpose to tell you which lane I chose nor which checker was working my selected lane. After all, you have undoubtedly exercised the same tactics of discrimination and fully understand the scene I am describing.

While it may be unpopular to admit, I discriminate as a business owner as well. I discriminate against the tardy, the slovenly, the inarticulate, the way-too-casual-for-a-job-interview, the resumees that havint bin pruufred and the Dutch.



Of course I realize that sort of discrimination is not the issue at hand. Age discrimination according the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 only refers to the discrimination of persons older than 40. Could it be that in senior care, as in life, that sort of discrimination is a really good thing?

DISCRIMINATION- [dih-skrim-uh-ney-shuh n]
noun
1. the act or instance of making a distinction
2. the treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person belongs rather than on inidividual merit.
3. the power of making fine distinctions

Scene: A young lady walks into my office and wants to become a caregiver. I greet her upon arrival and proceed to conduct an interview. Through the interview it becomes abundantly clear that she has never worked with seniors, has little if any relevant experience and is unable to cook anything more advanced than Ramen noodles. Say it any way you want in order to make it more politically correct, she is just too young to be a caregiver.

In fairness, there are those younger persons who have wisdom beyond their years and go on to make phenomenal caregivers. (My wife jokes that I have been an 76 yr old man since my 19th birthday.)

Scene: An older man walks into my office and wants to become a caregiver. I greet him upon arrival and proceed to conduct an interview. He was a caregiver for his late wife for many years prior to her passing. He is a war veteran with a passion for history and volunteers at his local food pantry three times a week. Say it any way you want in order to make it politically correct, his age helps to make him a prime candidate.

In both instances, I have exercised discrimination. If I were hiring computer programmers for the latest social media gizmo the outcomes would likely be reversed and I could potentially find myself in the cross-hairs of the EEOC. But why? Why do we claim discrimination when it does us wrong and never admit when it serves us well?



At Home Instead Senior Care- Chapel Hill, we are proud to say that we practice discrimination. We actively seek mature CAREGivers who know what it is to grow older and have a passion for people struggling to maintain their independence. We are in desperate need of family members who, older or younger than 40yrs, have seen the difference that a great CAREGiver can make. We know the impact that we are able to make if we exercise discrimination. Additionally, we know the cost of turning a blind eye to the red flags which present themselves during our screening process. If I were in need of in-home care in Chapel Hill for a family member or loved one, I would expect nothing less.