Co-designing alternative frames of ageing and experiences of challenging ageism in Australia

ABSTRACT

Ageism is an ongoing pervasive issue that can be difficult to challenge. The aims of this study were to co-design alternative frames about aging in a workshop and to explore the process participants went through using these to challenge ageism in their communities over a three-month period. Participatory action research combined with co-design were used. Full-day workshops involving 27 participants across urban and regional Australia introduced participants to the concept of ageism, framing, engaging with community, and co-designing alternative frames of aging. An online group allowed participants to support each other and continue exploring ideas as they challenged ageism in their communities. After 3 months, follow-up debrief sessions involving activities and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Data from workshops (activities, recordings), online posts, and debrief sessions were analyzed. Participants found the reframing process useful for challenging aging stereotypes in the community. Over the three months they developed an increased awareness of ageism (in self, others, society) and challenged these in different ways, including changing their internal dialogue, challenging others’ views on aging, and actively defying stereotypes. Five alternative frames emerged: diversity and human rights; empowerment and support; value/contributions; lifelong learning; intergenerational. The process of creating alternative frames was important and allowed participants to bring their own values andnarratives to the experience.

Acknowledgement

We would like to give a special thanks to the members of The Benevolent Society and the EveryAGE Counts Campaign for their funding and ongoing contribution to this project.

Contribution

The authors confirm contribution to the paper as follows: All authors contributed to the study conception and design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of results, draft manuscript preparation. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical approval

This project was approved by the University of Sydney, Human Ethics Review Committee. Title: Reframing Aging: Developing a community of practice. Project ID: 2019/534

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Benevolent Society. In addition, Dr. Simone Hausknecht is funded by a University of Sydney research grant and Dr. Lee-Fay Low is funded by the NHMRC Boosting Dementia Leadership Development Fellowship [APP1135705].