Reframing Aging Initiative Launches New Website

The Reframing Aging Initiative, the long-term social change endeavor that seeks to counter ageism by changing how we talk about aging, has a new online home at www.reframingaging.org.

“This recently completed website allows us to better reach and engage with a wider field of advocates and communicators who are committed to addressing ageism and improving understanding of aging,” said Project Director Patricia D’Antonio, BSPharm, MS, MBA, BCGP, the vice president for policy and professional affairs at The Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

GSA leads the initiative on behalf of the 10-member Leaders of Aging Organizations coalition: AARP, American Federation for Aging Research, American Geriatrics Society, American Society on Aging, Grantmakers in Aging, GSA, LeadingAge, National Council on Aging, National Hispanic Council on Aging, and USAging. Support for the initiative comes from The John A. Hartford Foundation, Archstone Foundation, RRF Foundation for Aging, and The SCAN Foundation. Additional support is provided by Endowment for Health New Hampshire, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, NextFifty Initiative, Rose Community Foundation, San Antonio Area Foundation, and Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

The Reframing Aging Initiative is designed to improve the public’s understanding of what aging means and the many ways that older people contribute to our society. This greater understanding will reduce ageism and guide our nation’s approach to ensuring supportive policies and programs for us all as we move through the life course. The initiative promotes the use of proven communication strategies, such as words and concepts to advance and those to avoid, to tell a more balanced and accurate story of aging.

Since April 2019, the initiative has trained more than 100 facilitators on the research and fundamentals of reframing aging so they can play a key role in teaching others and changing the narrative. It also has promoted its efforts nationally, including successfully getting three major style guides used by thousands of scholars, researchers, communications professionals, journalists, students, and others to adopt age bias-free language and incorporate the principles of reframing aging.

“We know that reframing aging is fundamental to so many projects and missions, D’Antonio said. “On this website, it will be easier than ever to find the resources, information, and tools to frame communications about aging — whether you are an individual who wants to explore the topic, or part of an organization that is ready to take steps toward changing its corporate culture, or a philanthropy that wants to train its grantees and community partners in the reframing aging techniques.”

Among the resources available online is the overview brief The Story of Reframing Aging, the Gaining Momentum toolkit, which employs tested strategies and evidence-informed tools that have been found to reduce implicit bias against older people, as well as a Quick Start Guide that offers tips on themes to avoid and alternatives to advance. The bimonthly newsletter Caravan is archived on the website as are podcasts and webinars.

The website will be continually updated with news, tools, webinars, podcasts, and other sources of inspiration and guidance.

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The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society — and its 5,500+ members — is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA’s structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society.