Reframing Aging in the Time of COVID-19 Online Workshop

Do you work with, advocate for or communicate about older people, aging and ageism? Are you concerned about the stereotypical way that older adults are being portrayed in many communications about COVID-19, and the ageist statements that are being made?

Research shows that people have patterns of thinking about aging and older people, patterns that are often reinforced by popular culture and media stories. These patterns of thinking can interfere with our ability to secure the funding, programs and policies we need to create communities in which people of all ages can thrive. Since the onset of COVID-19, these negative patterns of thinking about older people have emerged and been reinforced, not only in communications but also in policy decisions.

Cutting-edge research by the FrameWorks Institute shows that this does not have to be the case. We can use tested stories and messages to reduce ageism and to shift public opinion in a more positive direction.
In this free online workshop, you’ll learn:

• Why changing the way we talk about aging and ageism is so important
• What ageism is, and the harmful effects it has not only on all of us as we age, but also on our communities and the economy
• The benefits to all of us of having positive views of aging and using age-positive language as we get older
• How the general public thinks about older people and about aging in America
• How common words and phrases can have negative consequences that we don’t intend because they reinforce ageist attitudes and stereotypes about older people
• Evidence-based messaging and communications strategies based on three years of research by FrameWorks Institute that have been proven to increase support for age-friendly policies and to decrease bias against older people
• Specific suggestions for addressing language about older people, ageism and COVID-19

You’ll leave with some concrete tips for using the new messages and sharing them with those around you.

REGISTER NOW: The workshop is free, but please register in advance. The workshop is part of Changing the Narrative in Colorado, a partnership of NextFifty Initiative and Rose Community Foundation. Our goal is to change the way Coloradans think, talk and act about aging and ageism, to create communities and a Colorado in which people of all ages thrive.

Spots are limited, so please sign up quickly. You’ll receive an email with log-in information 24 hours before the workshop.