Positive ageing
Explore research on how positive attitudes towards ageing promote better health, wellbeing, longevity and reduced dementia risk in older Australians throughout
Summary
Having positive beliefs about ageing has been shown to be associated with better physical health, psychological wellbeing, increased longevity, and reduced dementia risk among older people.Ageism is a serious problem affecting people of all ages and across all life stages. The World Health Organization's 2021 Global Report on Ageism called it “prevalent, ubiquitous and insidious” (p. IX).
In 2021 the Australian Human Rights Commission released its report ‘ What's age got to do with it? ' on ageism across the Australian lifespan. Led by former Age Discrimination Commissioner, the Hon Dr Kay Patterson AO, the report found that ageism is widespread in society, with 90% of the national sample surveyed for the report agreeing ageism exists in Australia, 83% identifying it as a problem, and 65% saying it affects people of all ages.
Ageism can manifest in stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel), and discrimination (how we act) towards people on the basis of their age. [i] While people of all ages can and do experience ageism, it has particularly serious consequences for older people's health and wellbeing. [ii]
The good news is that age-related stereotypes and prejudice are malleable. Research has shown that providing accurate information as a way to challenge myths and stereotypes can prompt people to reflect on and change their biased thinking and assumptions. [i]
In 2022
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2023, Dr Patterson and team undertook a research project to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief, one-off ageism awareness session in reshaping perceptions regarding ageing and older adults among worked in aged care and community settings.
The report, Changing perspectives: testing an ageism intervention , was published on 13 July 2023.
[i] World Health Organization (2021). Global report on ageism. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/340208 . License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
[ii] Chang, E.S., Kannoth, S., Levy, S., Wang, S.Y., Lee, J.E., & Levy, B.R. (2020) Global reach of ageism on older persons' health: A systematic review. PLoS ONE ): e0220857. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220857
The Centenarian Portrait Project by Teenagers
Dr Patterson was a long-term advocate and supporter of The Centenarian Portrait Project by Teenagers (2017
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2023), a national arts initiative that sought to promote intergenerational friendships, celebrate life at 100, and fight stigma related to ageing.
The project culminated in a National Exhibition of 100 portraits of centenarians by 100 teenage artists held at Belconnen Arts Centre in Canberra from 19 May to 2 July 2023.
For more information about the project, visit https://www.embraced.com.au/ .
