 The American Society on Aging Joins Allies Across the Globe in Celebration of Ageism Awareness Day Pagosa Springs – Archuleta Seniors Inc. and the American Society on Aging (www.asaging.org) encourage everyone to celebrate Ageism Awareness Day on Oct. 7, 2023. Modeled after the United Nations International Day of Older Persons (Oct. 1), Ageism Awareness Day provides an opportunity to draw attention to the existence and impact of ageism in our society. “We live in an aging society, which is a wonderful, remarkable thing,” says ASA’s Interim President & CEO Leanne Clark-Shirley, PhD. “But too many of us view aging with fear, denial and even hostility. We are all growing older. We can’t afford to limit ourselves and other people with such negative and harmful views, and why would we want to? Let’s lean into the opportunities, diversity and full range of experiences that come with aging.” The most widespread and socially accepted form of prejudice, ageism is defined by the World Health Organization as “the stereotypes (how we think), prejudices (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age.” Evidence shows ageism is widespread in society and can be found everywhere, from our workplaces and health systems to stereotypes we see on TV, advertising and in the media. In a recent webinar from Changing the Narrative – Ending Ageism Together (www.changingthenarrativeco.org) on “Ageism in Healthcare,” speaker Kirs Geerken, Program Manager, said that ageism can shorten the lifespan by 7.5 years, hinder recovery, increase cognitive decline, social isolation and loneliness, and increase anxiety and depression. Comments are closed.
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