I recently read At the Window, an essay by Mary Jo Balistreri.

She wrote, “The elderly in our culture are simply not seen. Or if they are, they are often seen as less,” and she went on to provide illustrations of how she, at age 71, has personally experienced this.

The author speaks for many of us.

According to one source, the number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to more than double from 46 million today to over 98 million by 2060, and the 65-and-older age group’s share of the total population will rise to nearly 24 percent from 15 percent.

What broader statistics do we have about how society views us? A recent Oregon State study reported, “Our society devalues old age in many ways…almost every stereotype we associate with being elderly is something negative, from being ‘crotchety’ and unwilling to change, to being forgetful.”

And how do we tend to view ourselves?

According to a Harris Interactive survey in 2011, most of us (54 percent) viewed retirement as a whole new chapter in life filled with opportunities and new challenges.

Do you see the disconnect I see here? Is there anything we elders can do to bring the disparate views into better alignment? Do we need to dumb ourselves down, or are there better options?