This CEO blog post is excerpted from AGS 360o in the current issue of the AGS Newsletter. The column is focused on the topic of ageism in politics and provides a couple of examples (thank you Laura Mosqueda and Anna Chodos) of how geriatrics health professionals can frame their answers to questions about the chronological age of candidates for office. We are cross posting an excerpt here because we are hoping to learn from our members how you are framing your responses. I encourage you to read the full column at https://bit.ly/AGSQ2-2024 and share your thoughts and ideas with us in comments on this post.
The idea for the focus of this column came from our celebration of the advances in our understanding of aging as the National Institute on Aging turns 50 (see the May issue of JAGS) and an early read of Mark Supiano's inaugural From the President column which focus on how NIA research has led to discoveries that are having a positive impact on his health as he ages. Mark also celebrates the many contributions that geriatrics health professionals have made to advancing our understanding of how we age (it's a great read!).
One of the very tangible outcomes of these advances in research is that aging is no longer just about the number of years we have lived. Rather, it is about how we function in the world and that metric can be quite different for each of us as we grow older. Unfortunately, as the research has begun to expand our healthy years (or healthspan), we haven't been all that successful in changing the public discourse from a focus on chronological age to a focus on how we function as individuals. Because of that, ageism (we define it as discrimination against a person solely based on age) remains all too prevalent in our society. It impacts older people's physical and mental health, can limit access to health care, and pits one generation against the others in a fight over perceived limited resources (as we recently saw in rationing plans put forward during the COVID-19 pandemic). It is also the most hidden of 'isms – rarely included in the public discourse about steps that are needed to address discriminatory practices and implicit bias towards older adults. It is the one 'ism where we act against our future selves.
I am looking forward to hearing your collective thoughts and ideas on how we can change the narrative about aging –
Nancy