It “knows no one century, nor culture, and is not likely to go away any time soon.” This is how physician Robert Butler (1990:178) described prejudice and discrimination against the elderly, which he called ageism. Ageism reflect a deep uneasiness among young and middle-aged people about growing old. For many, old age symbolized disease, disability, and death; seeing the elderly serves as a reminder that they may someday become old and infirm. Ageism was popularized by Maggie Kuhn, a senior citizen who took up the cause of elderly rights after she was forced to retire from her position at the United Presbyterian Church. Kuhn formed the Gray Panthers in 1971, a national organization dedicated to the fight against age discrimination. Later in this chapter, we’ll look at other successful efforts of the elderly to organize (R. Thomas 1995).