The 8th episode of Season 2 of the Demystifying Diversity Podcast follows host Daralyse Lyons as she explores the implications of Ageism and the abuse that is interwoven into the fabric of American society. She is joined by gerontologists, activists, and researchers for an in-depth examination of the implications that ageism has on both our personal lives and how we operate within society at large. None of us are immune to ageism, especially older and younger individuals.
In this episode, you will learn about:
Ageism's far reaching implications, and how every person is simultaneously the victim of, and a perpetrator of ageist views, actions, etc.
How ageism, being something that no one is immune to, creates inherent intersectionality in our identities for all of us.
The importance of factoring an individual's entire life experiences into their identity, and not just their age.
The critical role of autonomy in an individual's life experience and humanity.
The insidious nature of ageism, and that abuse is typically perpetrated by those we know, rather than by strangers.
Our guests in this episode include:
Ryan Backer - Ryan is the co-creator of OldSchool, an anti-ageism clearinghouse. He is an age activist striving to undo ageism within an intersectional framework. They aim to eradicate ageism, along with white supremacy, gender bias, ableism, body shaming, homophobia, classism and all other forms of oppression.
Lena Makaroun - Lena is an ex-officio board member with the American Geriatrics Society, a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of older people, is a Geriatrician and Research Fellow who also sees patients at the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion in Pittsburgh. She studies the intersection between health policy and health equity, with a particular interest in assessing the social determinants of aging on health and in reducing and preventing elder abuse.
Trish D'Antonio - Trish is the Vice President of Policy and Professional Affairs for the Gerontological Society of America, an organization that is dedicated to supporting individuals in living meaningful lives as they age, something which requires a multidisciplinary and intersectional approach.
Mia Mullen & Kirsten Jacobs - Two members of LeadingAge's executive team, Mia is LeadingAge's Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives and Kirsten is Senior Director of Shared Learning Initiatives. Together, they work to address the effectiveness of internal and external initiatives and to advance LeadingAge's ageism work, with a strategic focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Theresa Reid - Having spent much of her working life in the nonprofit sector, Theresa has spent time to establish and then run the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, The Chicago Children's Advocacy Center, ArtsEngine and Living Arts and the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities. She has chaired her county's chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. And she is the innovator behind Aging For Life. Theresa sees the connections between social neglect and insufficient resources early in life and the ways these failures haunt us throughout the life course.
Kyrié Carpenter - One of the co-founders of OldSchool, Kyrié has worked to shift the tragedy-only narrative of ageism and dementia through her work on the ChangingAging tour. Prior to ChangingAging, she worked with elders living in long-term care and she wrote her thesis on the Anti-Aging Myth in America.
Lise Jamison - Lise is a licensed clinical social worker and Executive Director of At Home In Greenwich, a nonprofit membership organization that supports older folks in remaining at home as long as they choose to do so and that provides everything from community engagement to structures of support for individuals as they age.
Talia Kaplan - a student, a gymnast, a daughter, a sister, and a huge proponent of intergenerational relationships.
Rob Lawless - Writer who over the course of the last six years has been on a mission to make 10,000 friends through hour-long individual conversations with people with a myriad of experiences and perspectives.
Emily Anderson - Emily is a marketing director and lifestyle expert turned human-centered designer and coding teacher for Girls Who Code.
Click here for a full transcript of this episode.