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Aims: This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the educator's role in imparting knowledge to healthcare students regarding ageism in Slovenia., Methods: Educators in Slovenian secondary nursing schools and in medical and health science faculties were asked to evaluate their practical experience in working with older people, their knowledge of gerontology and working with older people, and their attitude toward working with older people using an online questionnaire. They were also asked to rate their opinion about ageism on a Likert scale, along with reasons for ageism, skills that would help reduce ageism, their opinion about trainees' attitudes toward older people, and their assessment of certain facts about planning training. The reliability of the questionnaire was tested using Cronbach's alpha. The Kruskal‒Wallis test, Mann‒Whitney U test, and independent samples t-test were used to determine differences between the groups., Results: The participants fully agree that the knowledge imparted could contribute to reducing age discrimination among healthcare students. Those that responded that their gerontological knowledge is good had significantly higher ranked responses regarding the reasons for ageism. On average, they agreed with the statements about planning their teaching activities and facilitating the acquisition of knowledge., Conclusions: Ageism is a challenge for modern society that requires a comprehensive approach to prevent and combat this form of discrimination. Awareness-raising, education, and policy change can create a fairer and more respectful society for all generations. Educators are insufficiently aware of their role in preventing ageism. Practitioners recognize it when they work directly with students. There are opportunities to update curricula and teaching methods., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Mihevc et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a short educational intervention to reduce ageism and enhance social activism among adolescents. The study involved a 90-min workshop for 318 Israeli adolescents (aged 11 to 15, 73.9% females). Familiarity with the concept "ageism" and attitudes toward older persons were assessed before and after the intervention. The findings indicate an improved familiarity with the concept "ageism," while adolescents drew upon concepts such as discrimination and racism to define ageism. Following the intervention, a diverse range of age-related stereotypes emerged, signaling a shift toward more positive perceptions, with notable growth in positive age stereotypes, especially among females. Finally, about two-thirds of created memes targeted ageism against older persons, 18.98% promoted an age-inclusive world, and 17.15% addressed ageism toward children and young persons. Implications for reducing ageism in adolescence and for measuring social change in ageism are discussed., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

To solve the problems related to the ageing society, effective strategies to reduce younger people's ageism towards older adults should be developed. Previous studies incorporated the content of stereotype embodiment theory (SET) into ageism reduction strategy, suggesting that younger participants' ageism eventually has undesirable impacts on their own future (i.e., SET intervention). In the SET intervention, participants read an explanatory text on several empirical findings related to SET. To enhance the versatility of this intervention, two experiments were conducted with younger participants in Japan. Study 1 examined concerns that arise in the practical application of the intervention. Results revealed that the SET intervention had few effects on fear of death and increased state self-esteem. In Study 2, the SET intervention was combined with interventions to encourage life planning, in which they freely described possible negative/positive events in their future. SET intervention reduced ageism, increased advocacy for policies to support older adults and increased emphasis on life planning and hope for the future. Many previous studies have shown that intergenerational contact-based interventions are effective in reducing ageism, and future research should be conducted in combination with the SET interventions., (© 2024 The Authors. International Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Union of Psychological Science.)

Background: This study examined the relationship between Type D personality and ageism in young adults, and evaluated the role of protective and risk factors. Methods: Two hundred and forty-seven community volunteers ( M age = 31.8 years) reported online on age-related attitudes, Type D personality, and on measures of well-being. Results: A significant correlation was found between ageist attitudes and the tendency toward Type D personality. Both Type D personality and ageism correlated negatively with all the well-being measures. Perceived social support (PSS) partially down-mediated the association between Type D personality and ageism. A three-way interaction was found among individuals with Type D personality. Low PSS and low self-esteem were associated with an elevation of ageism compared to those with low PSS and high self-esteem. Discussion: The current research suggests that self-esteem and PSS are protective against ageism, and might be good targets for psychological interventions in order to mitigate ageism, particularly among individuals with Type D personality., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ageism remains a key issue in gerontological literature and has long been recognized as a deeply harmful form of discrimination. Despite advances in ageism scholarship related to education, advocacy, and prevention, there are calls for ongoing intersectional examinations of ageism among minority groups and across older people facing multiple exclusions. In particular, very little ageism research has considered the experiences of age-based discrimination and prejudice among older people experiencing homelessness. We problematize this gap in knowledge and provide recommendations for policy, practice, and research to address ageist discrimination toward older people experiencing homelessness. Intersections of ageism and homelessness are summarized at four levels: intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional/community, and societal/structural. Building upon the limited research, we recommend key strategies for supporting and protecting older people experiencing homelessness through the reduction of ageism at each level. We present these insights and recommendations as a call to action for those working in both the aging and housing/homelessness spheres., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Intergenerational civics programs that offer high school graduates a reduction in college or university admissions fees, or rental fees, can stimulate the formulation of a new wave of social impact initiatives. Provided that each program is accredited externally for quality, this approach could attenuate tensions between generations, diminish social isolation among seniors and help young people with housing and higher education affordability, both of which are provincial priorities. It could provide valuable assistance to the elderly in need while also fostering a sense of civic responsibility and community engagement among young people., (Copyright © 2023 Longwoods Publishing.)

Background and Objectives: Involving older persons in the design process of digital technology (DT) promotes the development of technologies that are appealing, beneficial, and used. However, negative discourse on aging and ageism are potential underlying factors that could influence which and how DTs are designed and how older persons are involved in the design process. This scoping review investigates the explicit and implicit manifestations of ageism in the design process of DT., Research Design and Methods: Seven databases were screened for studies reporting on the design of DT with older persons between January 2015 and January 2020. Data regarding study and DT characteristics, discourse about older persons, and their involvement in the design process were extracted, coded, and analyzed using critical discourse analysis., Results: Sixty articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Various forms of exclusion of older persons from the design process were identified, such as no or low involvement, upper-age limits, and sample biases toward relatively "active," healthy and "tech-savvy" older persons. Critical discourse analysis revealed the use of outdated language, stereotypical categorizations, and/or design decisions based on ageism in 71.7% of the studies., Discussion and Implications: A discrepancy was found between an "ideal" discourse regarding the involvement of older persons throughout the design process and actual practice. Manifestations of ageism, errors, and biases of designing DT with older persons are discussed. This article calls for more authentic inclusion of older persons and higher awareness toward the implications of ageism in the design process of DT., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.)

This research aims to identify ageist content concerning older adults within local government physical activity policy. Policies are not passive texts; they can comprise hidden or disputed connotations. To identify ageism, the study utilizes a critical discourse analysis approach to analyze physical activity policy documents (n = 61) from 16 local government areas in Victoria, Australia, and the perceptions of local government employees trusted with developing these policies, which were gathered during semistructured interviews (n = 11). Results from the critical discourse analysis indicate that local government policies are imbued with ageism, leading to the construction and perpetuation of various stereotypes of older adults. The discourse analysis points to potentially ageist descriptions including older adults being vulnerable, incapable, and a financial burden. Nonetheless, older adults were also revealed to be significant contributors to the community including in paid employment, caregiving roles, and volunteering.

Community-level health promotion programs offer opportunities to improve the lives of older adults and improve the cultural narrative about aging. However, age-discrimination, ageism, and negative attitudes about aging, across the systematic ecological community levels have undermined older adult health. While the longevity of a society is a marker for success worldwide, age-discrimination and ageism, seen through limited community-level health advancement opportunities, have thwarted progress toward societal elderhood, even in the most developed and advanced nations. As a society, we need to continue to push for community-level prevention and intervention across the older age spectrum, to continue human advancement through late life.

A systematic review and meta-analyses examined intervention strategies to reduce ageism toward older adults using AgeLine, EBSCO, Embase, Campbell Collaboration, CINAHL, CDSR, DARE, Google Scholar, MedlinePlus, PROSPERO, PsycINFO, PubMed, ProQuest for dissertations, and SSCI from inception to September 2021. These meta-analyses involved within-subject ( n = 74; 6271 participants) and between-subject designs ( n = 78; 6857 participants) across 11 countries and 45 years with participants ages 3-45 years. Examining PEACE model components (Levy, 2018), the aggregate effect sizes were statistically significant for between-subject (within-subject) studies measuring ageist attitudes, g = 0.326 ( g = 0.108) and aging knowledge, g = 0.583 ( g = 0.304). Separate meta-analyses of contact programs showed significant estimated effect sizes among between-subject ( g = 0.329) and within-subject studies ( g = 0.263). Along with results from moderation analyses, a main conclusion is that effective interventions include education about aging and positive intergenerational contact (individualized, equal status, and in-person).

Background: Ageism is considered as one of the consequences of the industrialization of societies, which appears in various forms in different cultures. This study aimed to explain the process of formation of ageism among the older adults people., Methods: The research was conducted using grounded theory method. Data were collected from 28 participants using in-depth semi-structured interviews and field notes. Data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding., Results: Fear of loneliness and rejection striving to tackle ageism "was identified as the core category of the study. Concepts such as "family context" and "cultural context" were relevant. After identifying the strategies used by the older adults in response to the context ("maintaining integrity", "socio-cultural care" and "proper health care", "striving to tackle ageism") was the most important process in ageism by the Iranian older adults., Conclusion: Findings of this study indicated that individual, family and social factors play an important role in the process of ageism among the older adults. These factors sometimes exacerbate or moderate the process of ageism. By recognizing these factors, various social institutions and organizations (including the health care system and the national media (radio and television)) can help the older adults achieve successful aging by emphasizing the issues related to the social aspect., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Face-to-face intergenerational contact is associated with more positive attitudes toward older adults. However, such contact can be difficult to achieve, and poor contact experiences can have negative consequences for intergenerational relations. We examined whether mentally simulated intergenerational contact (which is more easily facilitated and controllable) could reduce young adults' inclinations to avoid intergenerational interactions by increasing their inclusion of the older outgroup in the self (IOS), and by enhancing their stereotypes of older adults' warmth and competence., Method: We conducted an online experiment with 373 young adults from the United States. Participants imagined talking with an older adult (aged 70-75 years) in the circumstances intended to make salient either the older adult's warmth or their competence., Results: Both manipulations increased young adult participants' IOS with respect to older adults, which in turn predicted more positive assessments of older adults' warmth and competence. IOS, along with ratings of warmth and competence, inversely predicted the desire to avoid future interaction with older adults., Discussion: Findings indicate the viability of a simple and accessible intervention to improve intergenerational relations, which can be tailored to address different goals (e.g., encouraging intergenerational friendships vs. encouraging support for equal rights of older members of the workforce)., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Ageism in nursing is difficult to identify, prevent and combat. Using a mixed-method approach in two exploratory cross-sectional studies ( N = 512), we brought support for a proposed conceptual difference between ageism toward older adults and ageism toward older patients which may facilitate the identification of ageism in healthcare settings. We also investigated whether nurses' moral sensitivity could buffer the negative effect of socio-cognitive factors on ageism against older patients. Our findings supported our assumption, suggesting that fostering nurses' moral sensitivity could be a promising new avenue to prevent and combat ageism in nurses, together with comprehensive gerontological education meant to decrease stereotyping and help nurses fulfill their roles of moral advocates against older patient discrimination.

Objective: The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the CRENCO project which was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic including intergenerational activities shared by students from primary and secondary education and users of two centers for older adults and a day hospital in Catalonia. The effectiveness was assessed in terms of well-being in older adults and on negative stereotypes about the elderly in primary and secondary students., Methods: Three interventions were carried out in which 32 older persons (9 users of centers for older adults and 23 of a day hospital), 99 primary students and 56 secondary students participated. Participants answered a questionnaire before and after the interventions. Through multilevel linear models for repeated measures, changes in feelings of loneliness, social support, anxiety and depressive symptoms, self-reported health and health-related quality of life were evaluated in older people. In primary and secondary students, changes in age stereotypes were evaluated., Results: Health-related quality of life and self-reported health improved statistically after the interventions in older persons. Users of the day hospital also reported an improvement in social support. Primary school students improved their age stereotypes; no statistically significant changes were detected in secondary students., Conclusion: The results of the present study contribute to underlining the importance of intergenerational programs such as the one proposed by CRENCO, capable of improving well-being and providing a more realistic vision of the older adults. Our results suggest that these programs should be implemented during childhood in order to prevent the proliferation of ageist stereotypes in later life stages., (Copyright © 2022 SEGG. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives: While studies have researched ageism in public policy, few investigated the impact of aging policy on ageism-typically, an unintended consequence. Ageism is linked to $63 billion in health care costs, so its antecedents are of interest. We test the association between Aging Policy Agenda Setting and Societal Age Stereotypes and hypothesize a mediating pathway via Medicalization of Aging, moderated by demographics., Research Design and Methods: Scholars identified Singapore's Pioneer Generation Policy (PGP) as one of the largest policy implementations in recent years, where the agenda was set by the Prime Minister at an equivalent State of the Union address in 2013, and US$7 billion allocated to fund outpatient health care costs for aged 65 years or older. More than 400,000 older adults received a PGP card and home visits by trained volunteers who co-devised a personalized utilization plan. We leveraged a 10-billion-word data set with more than 30 million newspaper and magazine articles to dynamically track Societal Age Stereotype scores over 8 years from pre- to postpolicy implementation., Results: Societal Age Stereotypes followed a quadratic trend: Prior to the Aging Policy Agenda Setting from 2010 to 2014, stereotypes were trending positive; after 2014, it trended downward to become more negative. Medicalization of Aging mediated the relationship between Aging Policy Agenda Setting and Societal Age Stereotypes. Furthermore, Old-age Support Ratio moderated the mediational model, suggesting that the impact of policy on medicalization is stronger when a society is more aged., Discussion and Implications: We provided a framework for policymakers to ameliorate the unintended consequences of aging policies on societal ageism-if unaddressed, it will exert an insidious toll on older adults, even if initial policies are well-intentioned., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.)

Negative outcomes of ageism in the context of the Canadian labor market are well documented. Older workers remain the target of age-based stereotypes and attitudes on the part of employers. This study aims at assessing (1) the extent to which quality and quantity intergroup contacts between younger and older workers as well as knowledge-sharing practices reduce ageist attitudes, in turn (2) how a decrease in ageist attitudes increase the level of workers' engagement and intentions to remain in the organization. Data were collected from 603 Canadian workers (aged 18 to 68 years old) from private and public organizations using an online survey measuring concepts under study. Results of a path analysis suggest that intergroup contacts and knowledge-sharing practices are associated with positive attitudes about older workers. More so, positive attitudes about older workers generate higher levels of work engagement, which in turn are associated with stronger intentions to remain with the organization. However, positive attitudes about older workers had no effect on intentions to remain in the workplace. Results are discussed in light of the intergroup contact theory.

Cultural gerontology has developed critical work around cultural representations of age and aging and their role in the reproduction of ageism. However, the cultural industries as producers and disseminators of representations remain under researched. This paper draws on a focus group with four older women actors to argue that workforce allocation and assumptions about audience demographics intersect with cultural attitudes around women's aging to impact on older women actors' career opportunities. We argue that ageism within the cultural industries is limiting our ability to develop diverse and non-ageist cultural representation of women's aging.

Objectives: Older adults experience higher risks of getting severely ill from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting in widespread narratives of frailty and vulnerability. We test: (a) whether global aging narratives have become more negative from before to during the pandemic (October 2019 to May 2020) across 20 countries; (b) model pandemic (incidence and mortality), and cultural factors associated with the trajectory of aging narratives., Methods: We leveraged a 10-billion-word online-media corpus, consisting of 28 million newspaper and magazine articles across 20 countries, to identify nine common synonyms of "older adults" and compiled their most frequently used descriptors (collocates) from October 2019 to May 2020-culminating in 11,504 collocates that were rated to create a Cumulative Aging Narrative Score per month. Widely used cultural dimension scores were taken from Hofstede, and pandemic variables, from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker., Results: Aging narratives became more negative as the pandemic worsened across 20 countries. Globally, scores were trending neutral from October 2019 to February 2020, and plummeted in March 2020, reflecting COVID-19's severity. Prepandemic (October 2019), the United Kingdom evidenced the most negative aging narratives; peak pandemic (May 2020), South Africa took on the dubious honor. Across the 8-month period, the Philippines experienced the steepest trend toward negativity in aging narratives. Ageism, during the pandemic, was, ironically, not predicted by COVID-19's incidence and mortality rates, but by cultural variables: Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Long-term Orientation., Discussion: The strategy to reverse this trajectory lay in the same phenomenon that promoted it: a sustained global campaign-though, it should be culturally nuanced and customized to a country's context., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.)

Objectives: The World Health Organization launched a recent global campaign to combat ageism, citing its ubiquity and insidious threat to health. The historical context that promoted this pernicious threat is understudied, and such studies lay the critical foundation for designing societal-level campaigns to combat it. We analyzed the trend and content of aging narratives over 210 years across multiple genres-newspaper, magazines, fiction, nonfiction books-and modeled the predictors of the observed trend., Method: A 600-million-word dataset was created from the Corpus of Historical American English and the Corpus of Contemporary American English to form the largest structured historical corpus with over 150,000 texts from multiple genres. Computational linguistics and statistical techniques were applied to study the trend, content, and predictors of aging narratives., Results: Aging narratives have become more negative, in a linear fashion (p = .003), over 210 years. There are distinct shifts: From uplifting narratives of heroism and kinship in the 1800s to darker tones of illness, death, and burden in the 1900s across newspapers, magazines, and nonfiction books. Fiction defied this trend by portraying older adults positively through romantic courtship and war heroism. Significant predictors of ageism over 210 years are the medicalization of aging, loss of status, warmth, competence, and social ostracism., Discussion: Though it is unrealistic to reverse the course of ageism, its declining trajectory can be ameliorated. Our unprecedented study lay the groundwork for a societal-level campaign to tackle ageism. The need to act is more pressing given the Covid-19 pandemic where older adults are constantly portrayed as vulnerable., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.)

Objectives: Media sources have consistently described older adults as a medically vulnerable population during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, yet a lack of concern over their health and safety has resulted in dismissal and devaluation. This unprecedented situation highlights ongoing societal ageism and its manifestations in public discourse. This analysis asks how national news sources performed explicit and implicit ageism during the first month of the pandemic., Method: Using content and critical discourse analysis methods, we analyzed 287 articles concerning older adults and COVID-19 published between March 11 and April 10, 2020, in 4 major U.S.-based newspapers., Results: Findings indicate that while ageism was rarely discussed explicitly, ageist bias was evident in implicit reporting patterns (e.g., frequent use of the term "elderly," portrayals of older adults as "vulnerable"). Infection and death rates and institutionalized care were among the most commonly reported topics, providing a limited portrait of aging during the pandemic. The older "survivor" narrative offers a positive alternative by suggesting exceptional examples of resilience and grit. However, the survivor narrative may also implicitly place blame on those unable to survive or thrive in later life., Discussion: This study provides insight for policy makers, researchers, and practitioners exploring societal perceptions of older adults and how these perceptions are disseminated and maintained by the media., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Age discrimination can undermine older people's motivation to stay engaged with their lives and poses a major challenge to healthy aging. In this article, we review research on age discrimination in different life domains, including health and work. Motivation and health constitute potential antecedents as well as outcomes of age discrimination, with reduced motivation and impaired health increasing the likelihood of becoming a victim of age discrimination, but also resulting from age discrimination. Furthermore, high levels of motivation and health can also serve as buffers against the negative effects of age discrimination. Based on our literature review, we discuss possible strategies aimed at reducing age discrimination. Understanding and combating age discrimination can foster older people's motivation to participate in meaningful activities and promote healthy aging., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

What are the consequences for older adults who confront ageism and the perpetrators who engage in ageist behaviors? We compared young ( n = 265), middle-aged ( n = 338), and older adults' ( n = 235) impressions of an older target and the perpetrator of an ageist action. Participants read a vignette about a pedestrian offering unwanted help to an older woman crossing the street. We manipulated the type of ageism (benevolent or hostile), the reaction of the older target (acceptance, moderate confrontation, or strong confrontation) and assessed perceptions of perpetrator appropriateness and how evaluations of warmth, competence, and overall impression of the target changed over time. The perpetrator's act of benevolent ageism was perceived to be more appropriate than hostile ageism, and middle-aged and older adult participants reported the benevolent act to be more acceptable than young participants. This finding supports an age stereotype assimilation account. For target perceptions, accepting a hostile ageist behavior led to lower warmth and competence ratings but accepting benevolent ageism reduced warmth but not competence evaluations. Age differences in target perceptions were predicted by social identity theory, in that older adults rated the older target more positively overall. Perceptions of targets who confronted varied by type of ageism and the intensity of the confrontation. When participants perceived the target's reaction to be disproportionate to the ageist act, the target was viewed more negatively overall. The findings suggest that ageism directed toward older adults is perceived to be normative by adults of all ages and that confrontations of ageist behavior result in negative perceptions of the older target. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Objectives: Commentaries have suggested that initial emphasis on the higher susceptibility and mortality rates of older adults to COVID-19 has instigated ageism within the public discourse and policy decisions. Using the health belief model, the current study examined ageism in interaction with other factors influencing intention to social distance. Methods: Threat of contracting COVID-19, benefits and barriers to social distancing, benevolent and hostile ageism, and intention to social distance were examined in 960 adults ( M = 37.81 years, SD = 11.65). Results: Benevolent and hostile ageism were significant moderators for both perceived threat and barriers on intent to social distance; hostile ageism also moderated benefits on intent to social distance. Discussion: The current study demonstrates how ageism influences behavior during a pandemic. With initial reports of COVID-19 presenting older adults as a homogenous group, ageism negatively interacted with intention to social distance and may place older adults at greater risk.

Ageism has unfortunately become a salient phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, triage decisions based on age have been hotly discussed. In this article, I first defend that, although there are ethical reasons (founded on the principles of benefit and fairness) to consider the age of patients in triage dilemmas, using age as a categorical exclusion is an unjustifiable ageist practice. Then, I argue that ageism during the pandemic has been fueled by media narratives and unfair assumptions which have led to an ethically problematic group homogenization of the older population. Finally, I conclude that an intersectional perspective can shed light on further controversies on ageism and triage in the post-pandemic future., (© 2021. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Performing arts interventions may be one method to lessen age stereotypes among both the young and old. The present study examines how, and if, intergenerational performing arts interventions addressing age increases knowledge on ageism and counters ageist stereotypes. Two programs were assessed, one with a discussion component and the other without. Participants included 72 individuals aged 20-89. T-tests and repeated measures ANOVAs were used. Those under 50 experienced a significant increase in viewing ageism as a problem and those under 50 who participated in the discussion program experienced an increase in the belief that they could change perceptions about ageism between the pre- and posttests. Positive age stereotypes increased and negative age stereotypes decreased, regardless of program type and age. The present study has implications for how intergenerational performing arts interventions addressing age, created in conjunction with community organizations and via performing arts, may empower individuals to increase knowledge, and change their own perceptions about aging.

Current education in gerontology focuses on sharing knowledge and promoting intergenerational contact in order to shift students' attitudes about aging and elders. Existing interventions, however, may be less effective in modifying students' emotional reactions and implicit ageism. Contemplative pedagogy includes practices that help students notice cognitive and emotional patterns and that may serve to reduce bias. Suggestions are made for ways to incorporate contemplative pedagogy in the gerontology classroom.

The American Geriatrics Society is committed to taking purposeful steps to address racism in health care, given its impact on older adults, their families, and our communities. In fall 2020, AGS added a statement to our vision for the future, which reflects that our commitment is central to mission: "We all are supported by and able to contribute to communities where ageism, ableism, classism, homophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other forms of bias and discrimination no longer impact healthcare access, quality, and outcomes for older adults and their caregivers." In 2021, we will be working to flesh out a multi-year, multi-pronged initiative that addresses the intersection of structural racism and ageism in health care. This will include engaging members in identifying strategies and with the goal of increasing member engagement around the idea that it will take all of us working together to achieve our vision for a collective future that is free of discrimination and bias. The Society has set as the first objective that by 2031, 100% of research presented at the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting and published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) will reflect the diversity of the population being studied. Other immediate efforts include undertaking a complete update of the Geriatrics Cultural Navigator, development of corresponding public education materials, and a webinar series focused on helping us all understand our own implicit bias, recognize implicit and explicit bias, and consider actions that we each might take to address bias when we observe it., (© 2021 The American Geriatrics Society.)

The SFGG (French Society of geriatrics and gerontology) stands up against ageism and fights it in all its forms of expression. The SFGG warns about the persistence of age discrimination and the emergence of new forms of ageism alongside traditional stereotypes. The SFGG has taken a position on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December 2018. In September 2020, the SFGG is again raising the alarm on the 20th anniversary of the inclusion of the Rights of the Elderly in the European Charter. It is organising a wide communication campaign against ageism, involving all the learned societies of geriatrics and gerontology as well as all the major international institutions that defend the rights of older adults.

Objective: Positive perceptions of aging are known to have beneficial effects for older adults' health and well-being, but less is known regarding their social correlates. The current study aimed to disentangle the bidirectional associations of perceptions of aging with informal and formal social involvement., Method: Data for this study came from the 2008 and 2014 waves of the German Ageing Survey (DEAS). Informal social involvement was assessed as the frequency of providing advice and emotional support to others. Formal social involvement was measured as the number of groups and organizations one participates in and the frequency of attending them. A latent change score model was used to assess the bidirectional links between the constructs., Results: Adults with more positive aging perception at baseline were likely to become more informally and formally socially involved over time. Informal social involvement predicted better perceptions of aging, but not formal social involvement. These trends were consistent across age groups., Conclusions: The results suggest that having positive expectations regarding one's aging might encourage adults to maintain a more engaged and socially productive lifestyle. In addition, informal social involvement, characterized by the provision of advice and support to others, is beneficial for experiencing the aging process more positively., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: By 2050, the percentage of older adults in the United States will double. By 2060, nonmajority individuals will comprise nearly half of our older adult population. Therefore, nursing students must have learning experiences that prepare them to care for a diverse population of older adults when they enter practice., Method: Photo-elicitation and a photo essay project was initiated in an Aging and Health in Global Communities course in which 75 students created and presented photo essays of a diverse group of older adults., Results: Through spending time with older adults to create a photo essay, students ably portrayed lives rich in meaning and ethnocultural heritage., Conclusion: The natural intersection of aging and diversity that occurred in the photo essays enlightened students to the rich experience of age and the similarities and unique differences in the lives of the older people portrayed. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(1):44-47.]., (Copyright 2021, SLACK Incorporated.)

Demand to meet the needs of a rapidly aging population is high. Students outside of gerontology programs, however, remain resistant to enrolling in aging coursework, which are often electives within or outside their degree programs. A life-span development course, however, is likely to be a requirement in many disciplines. In a multigenerational workforce spanning five generations and with intergenerational conflict making media headlines, students must understand how to navigate age-diverse climates. We advocate that a course in life-span development can serve as both a recruitment tool for driving interest in aging-related careers and an access point for preparing students to enter a sometimes contentious, multigenerational workforce. We illustrate how knowledge of developmental influences across the lifespan may lead to a better understanding of individual similarities and differences in developmental experiences, fostering intergenerational cohesion throughout one's career.

The COVID-19 global crisis is reshaping Canadian society in unexpected and profound ways. The significantly higher morbidity and mortality risks by age suggest that this is largely a "gero-pandemic," which has thrust the field of aging onto center stage. This editorial emphasizes that vulnerable older adults are also those most affected by COVID-19 in terms of infection risk, negative health effects, and the potential deleterious outcomes on a range of social, psychological, and economic contexts - from ageism to social isolation. We also contend that the pathogenic analysis of this pandemic needs to be balanced with a salutogenic approach that examines the positive adaptation of people, systems and society, termed COVID-19 resilience. This begs the question: how and why do some older adults and communities adapt and thrive better than others? This examination will lead to the identification and response to research and data gaps, challenges, and innovative opportunities as we plan for a future in which COVID-19 has become another endemic infection in the growing list of emerging and re-emerging pathogens.

This study aims to examine how the sociodemographic and professional characteristics of nurses in Jordan correlate with their levels of knowledge, attitudes, and ageism toward older adults. Ageism has not been studied in Jordan as it pertains to nurses, so a descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional design, with a convenience sample of 317 Jordanian nurses, using the Fact on Aging Quiz 1, Fraboni Scale of Ageism, and Relating to Older People Evaluation was conducted in January to February 2019. Significant ageism was found, and differences in knowledge, attitudes, and negative ageism vary among nurses by sociodemographic/professional characteristics. Knowledge and attitudes toward older adults significantly correlate with negative ageism which is associated with poor health outcomes for older adults. Our findings reveal that even in a country with high religious observance and close family ties, ageism exists in healthcare settings because of nurses' poor knowledge and attitudes toward older adults. These findings have implications for nursing education, clinical practice, and health policy. Changes across these sectors based on the findings may contribute to reducing ageist practices and improving older adult health outcomes., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

The goal of this commentary is to highlight the ageism that has emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 20 international researchers in the field of ageing have contributed to this document. This commentary discusses how older people are misrepresented and undervalued in the current public discourse surrounding the pandemic. It points to issues in documenting the deaths of older adults, the lack of preparation for such a crisis in long-term care homes, how some 'protective' policies can be considered patronising and how the initial perception of the public was that the virus was really an older adult problem. This commentary also calls attention to important intergenerational solidarity that has occurred during this crisis to ensure support and social-inclusion of older adults, even at a distance. Our hope is that with this commentary we can contribute to the discourse on older adults during this pandemic and diminish the ageist attitudes that have circulated., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Utilizing the PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences) model as a theoretical foundation, Instapals was a novel ageism reduction intervention with undergraduate students in a non-gerontology course that 1) provided aging education and 2) facilitated positive 1-to-1 intergenerational relationships with older adults (individuals 65+) through daily exchanges on Instagram for 30 days and two in-person meetings. Paired t-tests demonstrate a significant decrease in aging anxiety, psychological concerns about aging, and negative stereotyping of older adults. Results from coded open-ended responses suggest an overall positive experience with Instapals and more positive attitudes toward aging and older adults across a semester. Findings from the first test of Instapals, a theoretically-driven intervention, shows promise for reducing ageism among larger samples and in other settings.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of people throughout the world, either directly, due to exposure to the virus, or indirectly, due to measures taken to mitigate the virus' effects. Older adults have been particularly hard hit, dying in disproportionately higher numbers, especially in long-term care facilities. Local, regional, and national government actions taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have thus served, in part, to shield older adults from the virus, though not without adverse side effects, including increased social isolation, enhanced economic risk, revealed ageism, delayed medical treatment, and challenges getting basic needs met. This special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy explores the myriad ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected older adults and their families, caregivers, and communities. It proposes policies and strategies for protecting and improving the lives of older people during the pandemic. It draws lessons for aging policy and practice more generally, given underlying challenges brought to the fore by government, provider, community, and individual responses to the pandemic.