Gerontophobia

Gerontophobia (from Greek γέρων - gerōn, "old man" and φόβος - phobos, "fear" ) is the fear of growing old, or a hatred or fear of the elderly.

Indicators
Ken Dychtwald identifies seven markers that can make up this phobia in chapter two of Age Wave: How the Most Important Trend of Our Time Will Change Your Future :


 * If young is good, then old is bad
 * If the young have it all, the old are losing it
 * If the young are creative, the old are dull
 * If the young are beautiful then the old are unattractive
 * If the young are stimulating, then the old are boring
 * If the young are full of passion, then the old are beyond caring
 * If the children are tomorrow, the old represent yesterday

Gerontophobia and ageism
Discriminatory aspects of ageism have been strongly linked to gerontophobia. This unreasonable fear or hatred of the elderly is associated with the fact that someday all young people will grow old and that old age is associated with death. This unwillingness to accept death manifests in feelings of hostility and discriminatory acts towards the elderly.