The Washington Post: Getting Rid of the Negative Stereotypes - and Biases - about Aging
The Washington Post article, "Getting Rid of the Negative Stereotypes - and Biases - about Aging," discusses what can be done about negative stereotypes of older adults and points out that research has found that seniors whose view of aging is primarily positive live 7.5 years longer.
The article discussed a recent meeting of the National Academies of Sciences’ Forum on Aging, Disability, and Independence where the members embraced the goal of enhancing positive images of aging and reducing the effects of negative stereotypes. The Forum is co-chaired by Fernando Torres-Gil, Ph.D., MSW, Director of the UCLA Center for Policy Research on Aging and Terry Fulmer, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, President of The John A. Hartford Foundation.
At the Forum, Kathy Greenlee, vice president of aging and health policy at the Center for Practical Bioethics in Kansas City and formerly assistant secretary for aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, called for a new wave of advocacy by and for seniors, saying, “We need more older people talking publicly about themselves and their lives.”
To read The Washington Post article, click here.
Judith Graham's article was originally published in Kaiser Health News.