A man walks into a bar -- this is not a joke -- and orders "the usual". The bartender replies, "I’m new here, old-timer, what’s your poison?"

The man pauses, not because he’s so elderly he can’t remember what his tipple is (the bartender is quick to throw around a few options in case) but because of the old-timer tag. The man has just turned 63.

Ageism is rife, so common that it often goes unnoticed, including by those on the receiving end who’ve become desensitised to the slurs.

It’s as if at a certain age -- determined by others or that collective beast called "society" -- a person becomes invisible, incompetent or a nuisance.

One minute, you’re in the prime of your life. The next, you’ve become part of the "burden of an ageing population". Never mind that you’ve paid taxes all of your working life. Now you’re a thorn in the side of everyone with less life experience than you.

Play Video Watch a 90-year-old outdoing those half his age at the gym The West Australian Video Watch a 90-year-old outdoing those half his age at the gym

More than a third of Australians cite ageism as a key barrier in their career, according to a new survey of 4500 global job seekers by ManpowerGroup Solutions. Incidentally, this is much higher than in the US where one in four feels disadvantaged because of age.

Stereotypes include that older workers are over-qualified, won’t be able to handle younger management, and are hopeless at adapting especially to technology.

In my experience, the reality is very different. I’ve hired older staff in the past and they tend to be the ones with a better work ethic -- turning up on time, not using work time to make personal phone calls or check social media, and generally bringing a level of maturity to the office environment that is well received by colleagues of all ages.

When mum and dad requested a new home phone number, the chirpy operator said he would give them one that was ‘easy to remember’.

And they are not afraid of technology -- given the chance to learn it they are as adept as anyone else.

The Government might hope to prolong retirement and save on its pension bill by hiking the qualification age to 67 by 2023, and 70 by 2035, but good luck to those in their late sixties trying to find or keep a job. Or stay alive.

A friend took to Facebook the other day to vent after her mother copped an ageist slap.

"So I had to take Mum to the post office today to renew her passport. Post office lady looks at Mum’s application and says to her: ’You’re 75, so you might want to think of a 5 year passport rather than a 10 year one.’

"She couldn’t have been more insensitive," says my friend, who has since lodged a formal complaint with Australia Post.

My parents could have lodged one too, with Telstra, except that they have better things to do with their day than listen to call-waiting music (yes, really!)

When mum and dad requested a new home phone number, the chirpy operator said he would give them one that was "easy to remember".

It reminds of when the legendary Angela Lansbury was interviewed in 2012 ahead of her Driving Miss Daisy stage role at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. A journalist wrote: "And despite her age, she has no fears about learning the lines in the 90-minute play or the gruelling schedule." Why should she? "Learning lines is my business," Ms Lansbury, then 86, shot back.

Quips about having a senior’s moment or not buying unripe bananas can seem like harmless fun -- plenty of older Australians have a joke at their own expense -- but pigeonholing people on the grounds of their age is wrong.

Yes, the body deteriorates over time (no matter how much Botox you jab into it) and the brain might not be as malleable as it was in early childhood, but memory loss is not inevitable.

Studies have shown the more people challenge their mind, through crosswords, reading, group activities and new experiences, the better their brain health.

Other research from the University of Virginia shows that a person’s vocabulary is at its peak in the seventh decade.

Ageism, however, remains one of the "most tolerated" forms of social prejudice.

Canada’s Sheridan Centre for Elder Research identifies it as more than double that of racism (20 per cent) and sexism (17 per cent).

This is despite people living longer (today’s 10 year olds will live to at least 100), "greying" nations being the norm, and news last month that human trials of a miracle anti-ageing drug will begin later this year.

When news broke last week of the death of political satirist John Clarke, the resounding sentiment was one of shock, sadness and a belief that he still had so much to give.

Mr Clarke was 68. If only all older Australians were afforded the same respect.