Old School Anti-Ageism Clearinghouse

Est. 2018

Old School

Anti-Ageism Clearinghouse

Reports & Papers

Think “reports & papers” sound dusty & dry? Think again! The resources in this section, which summarize what we know about ageism and how to address it, have been carefully curated with the general public in mind. If you read just one—which would be a real mistake—make it the World Health Organization’s Global Report on Ageism, which sums up the best available evidence, outlines the most effective strategies to counter ageism, makes specific recommendations for various actors (e.g. governments, civil organizations, and the private sector), and proposes future lines of research. (Also in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, & Korean.)

You’ll find academic research papers, chosen because they fill a gap in the research, like connecting structural ageism to family interactions, or reducing inequity in healthcare by addressing the way ageism and racism intersect. Other papers offer invaluable overviews, like an issue of the journal Generations devoted entirely to articles about ageism by leading experts; a comprehensive research brief from the National Center on Elder Abuse; a review of how culture shapes ageism around the world; and the American Public Health Association’s meta-analysis of which types of intervention—spoiler alert: combining education and intergenerational contact—reduce ageism most effectively. Some publications focus on language, like the European Network in Aging Studies’ analysis of age-related terms like “age-friendly,” “elderly”/“senior citizen,” and “vulnerability;” and a practical tool to help organisations communicate about age and late life. Some address technology: how digital technology informs ageism (in Spanish); systemic ageism in the tech industry in light of labor and skills shortages; and policy measures for removing ageism as a barrier to the use of digital technology. Many focus on age bias in the workplace: the gendered ageism professional women confront mid-career; how ageism in human resources (HR) affects the way corporations understand and retain talent; a policy brief from the UN Working Group on Ageing on promoting age diversity and inclusion and enabling longer working lives; a review of how bullying affects older workers; and an overview of empirical research on worker-related ageism that identifies barriers, research gaps, and effective interventions. Some papers focus on health and healthcare: a research roundup for journalists on how ageism harms our health and increases healthcare costs, and how regional and federal policies are addressing this; Yale psychologist Becca Levy’s research into the effects of age beliefs on health outcomes; an investigation into older Australians’ encounters with age discrimination in healthcare; and the effects of the COVID19 pandemic in a world of longer lives. You’ll also find research on other a range of other topics, including into the omission of older people from clinical trials; using children’s books to address ageism; how arts educators can meet the needs of a rapidly expanding cohort of older students; and how reaching across age gaps fosters intergenerational relationships and age equity

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