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Ageism is something that’s likely to affect everybody as they grow older and it should be treated as seriously as other “isms”, such as racism and sexism.
That was the main takeaway from a recent “Solutions to Combat Ageism” webinar, organised in New York by the Global Coalition on Ageing, which aims to educate and drive change to improve older people’s health, productivity and social engagement.
Panellists noted that governments, local authorities – and seniors themselves – must take steps to change public attitudes and stop this form of discrimination.
Older people can help to effect a cultural change, speakers said. Self-directed ageism, in which older people believe the stereotypes of growing old that they are bombarded with and thus develop a negative perception of ageing themselves, is part of the problem.