Question

The style of speech most people adopt when speaking to older adults is one based on the stereotypes of dependence and incompetence. this in turn conveys to older adults a sense of helplessness and a decline in their abilities. this has often been referred to as

Answer 1

This has often been referred to as communication predicament.
It means that there are certain stereotypes younger people have towards older generations, such as that they are always and invariably dependent on them and that they should basically be treated as someone incompetent. In turn, these older generations start acting according to these stereotypes, which leads to their abilities declining.