Guidelines/Research Paper

4 | Fall 2015 • Vol. 39 .No. 3

G E N E R AT IO N S – Journal of the American Society on Aging

Copyright © 2015 American Society on Aging; all rights reserved. This article may not be duplicated, reprinted or distributed in any form without written permission from the publisher: American Society on Aging, 575 Market St., Suite 2100, San Francisco, CA 94105-2869; e-mail: [email protected]. For information about ASA’s publications visit www.asaging.org/publications. For information about ASA membership visit www.asaging.org/join.

Our Guest Editor Combating Ageism with the Power of Knowledge—and a New (Reframed) Perspective

Ageism is a pernicious force that seems unlikely to abate anytime soon. Beyond under- and over-treat- ment in the healthcare sphere, and preventing older adults from fully engaging in our communities, ageism

can even shorten lives, as Guest Editor Laura A. Robbins points out in her introduction to this issue of Generations. To find the best way to strengthen the field of aging, in the fall of 2012 eight leaders of national aging organiza-

tions met and collaboratively commis- sioned a research project from The FrameWorks Institute to study how older adults in the United States are perceived, and how to reframe the conversation in a more realistic light.

The findings were not unexpected, but still discouraging. There remains a giant gap between what the public believes about aging and the reality we know. Robbins, a consultant who guided the project and worked closely with FrameWorks on the research, years ago found a similar disconnect in her personal life.

While working full time as head of the U.S. Program on Aging for The Atlantic Philanthropies, and pursuing her MBA at New York University, Robbins also served as a caregiver for three frail older adults. “Despite my ac- cess to aging experts as a result of my

foundation position, I had a very chal- lenging time creating a quality of life for those I cared for,” she says. “I kept thinking, if I’m having such a hard time, what is the average person able to do? This insider−outsider perspective was enormously instructive in my work.”

Now the founder and principal at Laura A. Robbins Consulting, LLC, Robbins consults with foundations and other nonprofits, helping them to “achieve the social purpose they envision.” Through this work, Robbins’ vision has broadened, from helping elders on a project-by-project scale, to much bigger picture thinking. She now envisions a movement that will com- pletely shift how we think about aging, how we treat older adults, and what can be accomplished by viewing this population as a valuable asset.

“Like other social change move- ments, it will take the recognition that there is a problem, examples of what is possible, leaders to lead the change, funds to support models, and communi- cation efforts and policies that promote older adults’ engagement and support their needs,” says Robbins.

For more than twenty-five years, she worked in international, national, and community philanthropies, managing a $167 million grant portfolio at The Atlantic Philanthropies, then a $4 bil- lion international “spend-down” foun- dation. She is especially proud of her work on the civic engagement in-

‘We could be on the brink of an aging liberation movement.’ LAURA A. ROBBINS

Ageism in America: Reframing the Issues and Impacts

Fall 2015 • Vol. 39 .No. 3 | 5

Copyright © 2015 American Society on Aging; all rights reserved. This article may not be duplicated, reprinted or distributed in any form without written permission from the publisher: American Society on Aging, 575 Market St., Suite 2100, San Francisco, CA 94105-2869; e-mail: [email protected]. For information about ASA’s publications visit www.asaging.org/publications. For information about ASA membership visit www.asaging.org/join.

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itiative, supported by Atlantic, which sought to foster the goals stated in the previous paragraph.

Prior to her tenure at Atlantic, at the John A. Hartford Foundation she led a program to add to the ranks of trained geriatric social workers, resulting in significant increases in the number of masters programs that included aging in their curriculum, more faculty dedicated to teaching aging, and more students choosing careers in geriatric social work.

Through this big-picture work, Robbins has a unique viewpoint of the aging services sector, and can focus clearly on its strengths and gaps. “One consistent obstacle I saw was that there was no way to interact with the aging field as a whole when an issue relevant to older adults arose.”

Such disjointedness makes it more difficult for funders and policy makers to work constructively with people who work in the field of aging. Of the findings from the FrameWorks research, Robbins says, “What the group realized was that while most of the organizations were strong and successful in their own right, the sum of the field was not strong- er than its parts.”

As a “passionate believer that everyone should have the opportunity to grow, contribute and thrive,” Robbins knows that older adults would benefit more if all aging services groups worked together. Though pleased about the collaborative effort that inspired this issue of Generations, Robbins was struck, as were other members of the collaborative, by how ageism thwarts older adults from fully engaging in their communities, wasting what is poten- tially a worthy resource.

“I see a powerful opportunity for our country to [be strengthened] by recognizing and liberating the enor- mous potential latent in the older population,” Robbins says. “With the aging population growing, aging organizations collaborating, and an emerging understanding of the public’s beliefs about aging, we could be on the brink of an aging liberation movement.”

Robbins says the next step in her work, after intensifying the dialogue about ageism as she has done in this issue, is to communicate with opinion leaders, politicians, employers, health providers, and older adults to help them see how elders should and can be integral to society.

“My hope is that this issue of Generations can inspire individuals and organizations to become part of the solution,” she says.

Robbins has learned that “the strongest and most enduring change results from disparate groups collabo- rating. The success of this anti-ageism vision will depend upon people and organizations from many sectors to work together to create a more age- embracing society.

“I can see a day when young, middle-age, and old people all value each other and work together on behalf of their communities and the country,” she says. “Our country is stronger because, over time, we have removed many of the barriers to full community participation [for] minorities and women. With a concerted effort, I believe that older adults will also be able to be their fullest selves and our country will be stronger for it.”

—Alison Biggar and Alison Hood

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