How charities can tackle ageism

Charities are increasingly seeing the importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in their organisation and activity. But older people can too often be left out of this EDI discussion and continue to be subject to negative stereotyping, particularly within charity promotion.  

 

This ageist stereotyping involves depicting older people dependent, vulnerable, frail and lonely. According to the Centre for Ageing Better, such stereotyping could not be further from the truth for many older people.

 

The Centre points out that nine in ten over 65s live in mainstream, ordinary housing rather than in specialist care or retirement homes. More than a third of the UK workforce are aged over 50 and latest official figures show that those aged between 16 and 24 are three times more likely to experience loneliness than those who are over 65.

 

Charities are being urged to alter their thinking to be more positive and realistic about how older people are portrayed.

 

Such a change in mindset is especially important due to the ageing society. According to the Centre, one in four people will be over 65 in less than 20 years.

 

To help charities improve, the Centre has produced a free downloadable guide called Challenging Ageism, which takes in issues around positive messaging and how to tackle negative stereotypes.

 

Centre for Ageing Better Chief Executive Carole Easton hopes that the guide will be “an invaluable resource for a range of organisations to contribute to tackling harmful stereotype  and instead promote a more realistic view of later life”. She added that “outdated attitudes” to older people are “holding us back as a society from making the most of our longer lives”.

 

Here we take a look at the guide’s key points.

 

 

Understanding Ageism

 

Ageism is a bias against people based on their age that is widespread across society and is negatively impacting all age groups, says the Centre. According to a 2020 report Doddery but dear? – Examining age-related stereotypes, one in three people in the UK have experienced age prejudice or age discrimination.

 

Common forms of ageism include negative stereotyping of older people, pitting older and younger generations against each other and portraying later life as a time of frailty and decline.

 

Ageism can be damaging to people, leading them to limit their own behaviour by believing that some activities or jobs can only be carried out by certain age groups. Research from 2021 found that more than a third (36%) of 50- to 70-year-olds believe their age is a disadvantage when applying for jobs.

 

Too often employers mistakenly see older workers as “less competent or less capable of learning new skills”, warns the Centre’s guide.

 

“Faced with overwhelmingly negative attitudes about ageing in day-to-day life, it is unsurprising that older people themselves start applying ageist attitudes to other older people, and indeed to themselves,” the guide adds.

 

 

Age friendly communication

 

Charities have a vital role to play in ensuring they are communicating about ageing and older people in a positive way and inclusive way.

 

This includes shifting the association between later life with vulnerability and dependency and embracing more realistic depictions of ageing.

 

Giving older people a voice in charity promotion is key to this, where they can share their real-life stories and experiences, as this gives campaigning authenticity.

 

Using the right terminology is important. Cliches and phrases such as “over the hill” or “teaching an old dog new tricks” should be avoided. In addition, people in care homes should never be referred to as “patients”, instead as “residents”.

 

Typical terms to avoid:

• Old person
• Old Age pensioner
• Elderly

 

Typical terms to use:

• Older adults
• Older person
• People in later life

 

Age friendly imagery

 

Images of people in later life should be positive but also realistic. Positive images of older people do not equate to portrayals of them being young. The Centre for Ageing Better urges charities to avoid unrealistic imagery of older people skydiving, for example.

 

Images should also avoid being “lazy and dehumanising”, says the Centre, such as by focusing of a close up photo of wrinkly hands, clasped together.

 

To help charities around tackling ageism in their imagery, the Centre has a free image library containing hundreds of positive photos of people aged over 50 in a range of settings, which aim to show diversity of later life.

 

 

 

Reframing ageing

 

By focusing on positive and realistic imagery and communications charities can help reframe ageing across society.

 

For example, currently many people think of ageing as being about older people, when in reality it is a lifelong process.

 

Reframing of ageism by charities can also help change policy. Too often politicians see ageing as an inevitable process of decline and, ultimately, death. Instead with the right policies and support in place people can age well and contribute more to society in later life, says the Centre.

 

“It’s possible for us all to live meaningful and purposeful later lives, participating in and contributing to the workplace, community and society at large,” adds the Centre’s guide.