Nurses have been warned not to upset mature patients by calling them OAPs, elderly or pensioners.
A Royal College of Nursing guide says they should be referred to as “older people”.
It also insists “the disabled” are “people with disabilities”, “alcoholics” are “alcohol misusers” and gendered terms like “chairman” are banned – as is “lady”.
The style guide, just published online, aims to avoid causing offence.
References to gender and the LGBTQ community must be couched carefully. And even the notion that somebody can “suffer” from an illness is outlawed.
The RCN tells staff: “It’s really important to use the correct terms to avoid causing unwitting offence. Avoid stereotypes and consider would you mind being described in that way?”
The NHS also advises against the term OAP and says gender neutral terms should be used too.
Jan Shortt, general secretary of the National Pensioners Convention, backs the rules, saying: “Ageism is rife in the UK and language can be seen as patronising or demeaning.”
