I regularly speak at the local community center for retirees. I love this audience because these are people who know a lot and I don’t have to describe everything from scratch. Engaged, knowledgeable, focused people.
This year, a very young person got the job of organizing the speaking calendar. I’m at the point of losing my temper, so I left the office to take a walk and breathe. She’s acting like I’m about to speak to a group of preschoolers. First, she suggested that I bring “homemade treats.” I reacted with horror, so she changed tack and is asking me to prepare “some fun, engaging activities” for the audience.
I have a long-standing relationship with the attendees of the community center. They’ve been inviting me as a speaker at least once a year since 2011. I always have great attendance, great reviews. But I don’t do fun activities or homemade treats. This is not how I position myself publicly. The idea is repellent.
I’m two seconds away from telling the young person to leave us oldsters to our own funless and treatless devices. Who even uses the word treats outside of the elementary school context?
Clarissa's Blog 
Probably did an ‘elder care’ seminar, and feels like they know everything about it now, even if the class was geared toward nursing home dementia ward patients.
-ethyl
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A distressing number of youngsters these days seem to assume that everyone who is old — which to someone in her 20s could mean anyone over 45 — is ipso facto senile. Someone should clue them in not to make assumptions about people’s cognitive abilities until they get to know them at least a little.
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You should see the faces of utter shock when I demonstrate to students that I have a grasp on technology far above their own. They probably think I grew up before WWI and still haven’t gotten over the invention of the automobile.
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