In November 2020, our friends at the Elder Abuse Prevention Networks in the North and West region of Metropolitan Melbourne along with Merri Health hosted the Virtual Women’s Café – Celebrating the Wisdom and Resilience of Older Women.

The Elder Abuse Prevention Networks are part of the integrated model of care to strengthen elder abuse responses and support within Victorian health services, and consists of agencies and community organisations who meet regularly to work on key objectives such as developing interagency protocols and raising awareness of elder abuse.  

Try looking up ‘healthy ageing’, ‘ageing well’, ‘active ageing’, and ‘positive ageing’ in your search engine. You will find a treasure trove of literature, articles, programs and commentaries. You will find tips and suggestions about eating well, staying active, keeping connected, finding purpose and meaning, trying new things, staying positive. All of these are welcome and sound suggestions. All of them are focussed on individual choices and actions.

What about the context within which we age? We get older within a social context. How I age is of course, about me, my actions and my attitudes but it is also about others, their actions and attitudes towards me. Further, how I age goes beyond the personal and interpersonal to the structural – the access and opportunities I have, and have had, to education, secure housing, health care, work and financial security over my lifetime.

We all have a deep stake in the outcomes of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Royal Commission. We are all getting older and whether this has a direct impact on us or a loved one now or some time into our future, it matters to all of us.

Internationally recognised expert and author on ageism Ashton Applewhite and Walkley Award winner Jane Caro today shared their perspectives on how the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed ageist attitudes, ageism in employment, and what people can do to tackle this social injustice.

You can view the recording of the event below.

The organisational membership of the EveryAGE Counts campaign continues to grow. Below, you can hear from Sean Rooney, the CEO of Leading Age Services Australia (LASA), on why they've taken the pledge to address ageism.

The World Economic Forum has announced that 'the global community has a role and a responsibility to combat ageism, which is the single most impenetrable barrier to the pursuit of healthy ageing'.

This new report brings together the reality of longer lives, the ageism exposed by the pandemic and its disproportionate impacts on older people, and the opportunities for building a future without ageism.

In the COVID-19 pandemic some deep-seated ageist attitudes towards older people have been exposed.

We’ve seen the familiar framing of older people as a burden and questions emerge about the value of older lives. We’ve seen older people not having a voice in decision making, reinforcing marginalisation and entrenched stereotypes. We’ve seen the contributions of older people disregarded and attempts to drive a wedge between generations.

Now is our historic chance to challenge and dismantle ageism and the assumptions on which it is based.

Join Ashton Applewhite and Jane Caro in conversation on building a world without ageism.

Michael Seymour is a former teacher who took up song writing after health issues challenged his teaching career. This progressed on to writing.

Michael’s latest screenplay, a musical comedy that challenges our perceptions of getting older, was inspired by a radio interview with Ashton Applewhite during her recent Australian tour (supported by the EveryAGE Counts campaign).

Michael spoke to the EveryAGE Counts campaign for this interview.

Dear Sir Madam, a song by Western Australian artist Kelea, was recently nominated for the WAM Song of the Year (Folk). The track, about ageism and unemployment, was featured by Ashton Applewhite on her social media, appeared on forbes.com following an interview with Richard Eisenberg and was also featured by Susan Flory on her podcast “The Big Middle” (US).

We spoke to Kelea about why she wrote the track. 

Why is it that when political leaders and the media report on a person who has died from COVID-19 they always tell us their age?

Are there political or media guidelines on how to report infections and deaths from COVID-19? If so, I can’t find them. Why is a person’s age a relevant factor to report?