Demographics on the one hand and social justice on the other demand action. Therefore, at present, we are carrying out our plan by working with millennials and LeadingAge members.
Carry the Conversation
Millennials, like the boomers several generations before them, are change agents. They want to make a difference. Over 10 million of them are also caregivers. In fact, according to AARP, 25% of all caregivers are between the ages of 18-34, each delivering roughly 20 hours of care a week. As caregivers, they are witnessing the experience of aging and noticing blatant and subtle acts of ageism. And, they are seeing firsthand how fragmented, complex, and expensive our service delivery system is.
By reaching millennials via a social media campaign, #CarryTheConvo, we are hoping to engage them in advocating for solutions. We are betting that their common experience as caregivers will spark a willingness to act and to carry the message that ageism perpetuates powerful and pervasive stereotypes that demean the individual and negatively impacts quality of life. They have the power to amplify our voice, calling for needed reforms of how we pay for and deliver services and supports.
Join us on Twitter to help “carry the conversation.”
Disrupt Ageism
Working with LeadingAge members, our message is “Disrupt Ageism.” In early September, we will be releasing training videos and accompanying guides, developed in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University, aimed at raising awareness about ageism. They address implicit bias, negative messaging, stereotypes, assumptions and judgments about aging and older adults. These resources are designed to be used in staff meetings and board meetings, with residents, clients, and family members, and with the broader community.
Understanding the prevalence of ageism doesn’t necessarily change our work, but offers a new lens through which to see what we do. Slowly but deliberately, we must shift how we think and act towards aging and older adults as we work towards eliminating ageism altogether. Afterall, ageism makes all that we do that much harder – creating barriers to sound public policy, inhibiting workforce recruitment, and negatively impacting philanthropy, among other things.
Our plan is to stimulate conversations everywhere: with millennial caregivers, with the people we serve, with our colleagues, and with our partners. Through conversation comes awareness, and through awareness comes action. As Margaret Cruikshank wrote, “aging….. is shaped more by culture than biology, more by beliefs, customs, and tradition than by bodily changes..”
It’s a tall order to change the beliefs and tradition that are fueling ageism. By engaging millennials, as well as those whose lives we touch more directly, we hope to do just that. Not only do older adults deserve it, but so do the generations that follow.
We always love to hear from you.