The Gerontological Literacy Network: Addressing Ageism through Education
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
We live in a society in which gerontophobia and ageism permeate culture and consciousness. Research over an extended period has indicated that the twin pillars of prejudice, fear of our future selves (aging) and discrimination against older adults, are endemic and manifest in ever more subtle ways. The Gerontological Literacy Network (GLN) is based on the belief that a fundamental cause of gerontophobia and ageism is gerontological illiteracy. Lack of knowledge about aging and the lived experience of older adults has been reinforced by increasing geographical and social separation among generations. The GLN provides a collaborative forum for individuals interested in actively combatting gerontophobia and ageism through education at both an individual and community level. A baseline initiative of the GLN is a multi-institutional, longitudinal study of undergraduate students’ internalized beliefs about growing old. This study used original data from hand-drawn sketches, written descriptions, and word association protocols obtained from 1,184 students at six universities to document levels of gerontological literacy and identify domains for educational intervention. Findings indicated a need for curricula to address inaccurate perceptions of the biological characteristics of aging, reduce false associations between visible characteristics of old age (e.g. wrinkles and gray hair) and lived experience, change perceptions of illness and disability as the dominant feature of old age, and provide realistic information on the capabilities and limitations of older adults. Educational strategies to address prejudicial images must involve more direct interaction between students and older adults.
