February 22, 2024

As part of our Live Longer Better in Cumbria programme, we are supporting the Age Without Limits campaign from the Centre for Ageing Better. The campaign aims to challenge ageism for the benefit of us all as we grow older and will see a new action day launch on 20^th March 2024.

The Centre for Ageing Better explains:

“We see and hear casual ageism every day in the media, on TV, at work, in pubs / cafes, on social media, in family conversations. Ageism is often dismissed as being harmless, but research shows that ageist ideas or beliefs can be incredibly damaging for us as individuals and for wider society. They affect how we think about and act towards other people - how we talk to older people and how we talk about them, how we treat older people in our workplaces, in our communities, and even in health settings.

We also internalise these negative ideas about ageing. They become a self-fulfilling prophecy, affecting our self-esteem and what we think we are capable or worthy of as we get older. Then we can start to limit our opportunities and activities such as our physical activity or the way we dress. It doesn’t have to be this way. Thinking negatively about ageing and older people has been accepted and ignored for too long. The Age Without Limits campaign aims to spark a debate and conversation about what ageism is and to change the way we all think about ageing.”

What will we do and how to get involved

We are encouraging everyone to ask themselves if they are ageist, using a handy quiz which will help you consider thoughts you have and words you use about getting older.

Take the quiz: https://www.agewithoutlimits.org/challenge

The Age without limits website has a range of useful resources to challenge ageism, including ways to have a conversation both at work and in your community about ageist attitudes as well as really good library of positive images of getting older.

In everyday conversations | Age without limits

Image library | Age without limits

We will also shine a light on some of the work our partners and providers have been doing to enable older adults to be more active more often, helping them to get fitter and live longer better.

Challenging ageism and Live Longer Better

Challenging ageism is a key principle within Live Longer Better because of the negative impact has on both our physical and mental health. Ageism can lead to people limiting the activities that promote better health such as physical activity (due to negative ideas about appearance, suitability, or physical capability). Poor body image, increased pessimism, and anxiety about getting older, through negative messages from the media and in society will also lead to limiting behaviour that affects our health. We need to change the culture and attitude to be positive so that we are encouraged and motivated to do more as we age, get even fitter, find purpose, and avoid those diseases and illnesses which can be prevented.

To find out more about the Age without Limits Campaign and the national Action Day on 20 March 2024 follow the link below:

We need to change the way we think about ageing | Age without limits