But they need to work, with one out of every five workers intending to work, basically, until they drop.

Americans are already working five years longer than employees elsewhere in the world; even those who do intend to retire are planning to work an extra seven years before they do so.

And Hollywood could be making it harder, according to a report in the Huffington Post. Pointing to the "disturbing" findings in new research on the subject, the report said that not only are the statistics demeaning, they are contrary to how seniors see themselves. But maybe, one has to wonder, not contrary to how many employers see them — and that could be making it harder for seniors to get, or retain, jobs that will help them make enough money to see them through retirement.

The studies, from Humana and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, indicate that ageism in film is depicting prominent senior characters with demeaning or ageist references. And that's when they show seniors at all — seniors are substantially underrepresented in film portrayals.

Led by Prof. Stacy L. Smith, USC Annenberg's study analyzed the 100 top-grossing films from 2015 to assess the portrayal of characters aged 60 and over. Humana also conducted a quantitative analysis, asking seniors to identify the lifestyle traits that are important when aging, to assess the degree to which these traits describe them and to provide their point of view on senior representation in media.

Not only do Hollywood films give seniors a bum rap in how they're depicted, they could be contributing to employers' attitudes on their older employees — how capable they are, how intelligent, even how healthy.

We all know how effective an often-repeated statement can be in passing into "popular wisdom," even if that statement isn't true — all one has to do is look at the current presidential campaign to see how well that tactic works. And actors themselves have called out the industry for its lack of strong stories about and depictions of older people.

Here are five ways Hollywood could be making it harder for seniors to work long enough to retire.

Here's a scene you won't see in a Hollywood movie: An older woman with strength and courage enough to rope climb. (Photo: iStock)

5. Seniors are seldom shown as 'masters of their own destinies'

Not only do seniors not see themselves the way the movies see them — they're far more resourceful and resilient than Hollywood's depictions — when asked which were the top five traits they considered most important to aging successfully, respondents cited self-reliance, awareness, honesty, resilience and safety.

"In film," however, according to the studies, "seniors are rarely depicted as the masters of their own stories or destinies." Instead, they often come across as dependent and troublesome, unable to fend for themselves.

Hollywood often shows older people as lonely creatures who stay inside. (Photo: iStock)

4. Seniors are often presented as antisocial shut-ins

That couldn't be further from the truth, according to the studies. While only a third of onscreen seniors have any interests or hobbies, and just 38.5 percent attend events, in actuality seniors are more than twice as likely to engage socially with friends or relatives on a weekly or monthly basis.

The studies also found that seniors who rate themselves as very optimistic about aging tend to be the most active physically, socially and in their communities. Sadly, those seniors who do feel that media accurately portrays them think about aging more than average and have a higher level of fear around aging than their peers. 

In real life, unlike in the movies, older people successfully use technology every day, whether at home or on the job. (Photo: iStock)

3. Seniors are portrayed as tech-illiterates

That is so not true, according to the studies. While in movies only 29.1 percent of onscreen leading or supporting characters aged 60 or older engaged with technology, in real life the picture is completely different.

In fact, 84 percent of aging Americans report that they use the Internet to read news, use social network sites or seek out other information on a weekly basis. 

Older workers in real life garner praise and respect for their accomplishments. (Photo: iStock)

2. Older characters in movies are targets of ageist comments

Out of 57 films that featured a leading or supporting senior character, 30 featured ageist comments, the studies found; that's more than half of the films. Quotes included characters being referred to as "a relic," "a frail old woman" and "a senile old man."

However, according to Humana's quantitative survey, seniors report they are highly aware (95 percent), resilient (91 percent) and physically active (71 percent). 

When they do appear in movies, older people are often cartoonish in the stereotypes that Hollywood offers. (Photo: iStock)

1. Seniors are underrepresented in movies.

When they're present, they're insulted. But much of the time, they're just not there at all. The findings show just 11 percent of characters evaluated were aged 60 and over; U.S. Census data shows that 18.5 percent of the population is aged 60 and over.

Oh, and when they die in movies? Of the senior characters that died on screen, the study found that 79.2 percent of deaths were a result of physical violence — such as being shot, stabbed or crushed. This is a far cry from normal causes of death for seniors, such as heart disease and other chronic illnesses.