The National Center to Reframe Aging: Leading the Implementation of Age-Friendly Communication Strategies
If you were among the almost 4,000 researchers, clinicians, and educators attending the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, you had the opportunity to learn about the many ways the National Center to Reframe Aging™ is leading the implementation of Age-Friendly Communication strategies supporting the growing Age-Friendly Ecosystem.
It is exciting to see the momentum building within this Ecosystem as multiple Age-Friendly initiatives expand — Age-Friendly Health Systems, Age-Friendly Public Health Systems, Age-Friendly Cities, Age-Friendly Communities, and Age-Friendly Universities. GSA’s National Center to Reframe Aging plays an essential role in ensuring this Ecosystem thrives through implementation of proven Age-Friendly Communication strategies that garner greater support for age-friendly programs and policies. The words we use shape the discourse. How we structure communications shapes thinking. How we think about issues shapes our behavior and leads to policy change. The National Center to Reframe Aging provides the Age-Friendly Communication approaches that ensure consistent and compelling messaging throughout the Ecosystem. This can help to integrate the communications across these multiple initiatives.
The National Center team continues to lead the way in addressing ageism and implicit bias towards age and has released multiple new resources this year to support individuals and organizations in their journey to reframe aging. In the Online Learning Center, you can find a library of learning resources, including toolkits, courses, webinars, and podcasts. The Changing the Conversation Toolkit provides new and existing audiences with an introduction to the principles of reframing aging and how to apply them to relevant topics including intersectionality, nursing home care, day to day activities, and intergenerational work. And be sure to watch the newest Frame of Mind Video to learn about implicit bias toward aging. Reach out to the National Center team to learn more and connect to the movement at reframingaging@geron.org.
By implementing the principles to reframe aging, all individuals in this thriving Ecosystem can help the public understand that there is much we can do, together, to ensure well-being as we age. We can all be thankful for the philanthropic support of the National Center to Reframe Aging provided by The John A. Hartford Foundation, RRF Foundation for Aging, Archstone Foundation and The SCAN Foundation.
GSA’s work to reframe aging provides the unifying language that connects and animates the many age-friendly components of this expanding Ecosystem. As it has done for the past 78 years, GSA is enriching the public and professional dialogue on aging, enabling all to pursue meaningful lives as we age.