Honey, Sweetie, Dearie: The Perils of Elderspeak

Stop the presses. Talpa has another brilliant idea. The two gutsy guys from the Dutch hits present a program together, Angela de Jong saw. Success guaranteed! Not so.

Honey, Sweetie, Dearie: The Perils of Elderspeak

A prime example of elderspeak: Cindy Smith was visiting her father in his assisted living apartment in Roseville, California. An aide who was trying to induce him to do something —  Smith no longer remembers exactly what — said, “Let me help you, sweetheart.” “He just gave her The Look — under his bushy eyebrows — and said, ‘What, are we getting married?’” recalled Smith, who had a good laugh, she said. Her father was then 92, a retired county p…