Expert Perspectives: Changing the way we think, feel and act towards age and ageing

Written by Diane Turner MNZM JP

This article is part of Eldernet’s Expert Perspectives series. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Eldernet’s position.

Diane was, until the middle of last year, the Director of The Office for Seniors, a role she had held for for nine years. The Office based in the Ministry of Social Development in Wellington focuses on actively promoting a society where people can age positively through being healthy and independent and living connected and respected lives within their communities. They support the Minister for Seniors to advocate for the interests and issues of older people. She continues to be involved in initiatives to make the future better for people as we age. Diane was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours list for services to governance, seniors and Māori. For more information on the work of the Office for Seniors go to www.ofs.govt.nz

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From the moment we are born, we begin to age. If we are fortunate to get a great start to life, look after ourselves and maybe even have a bit of luck on our side, we will live a very long and mostly healthy life. Living longer is one of the successes of our society today - something that should be celebrated.

Sadly we don’t often hear those celebratory messages. Instead we are bombarded with rhetoric that makes us fear this natural progression in our lives. Terms such as ‘unsustainable cost’ and ‘burden’ to our society feature in public discourse. Just because we have reached some arbitrary age, does not mean we should not be valued as human beings, or that our contributions to society are diminished.

A life-long exposure to negative attitudes about ageing directly impacts on how we ourselves think and act as we age. They embolden those around us to take away our agency and to treat us with disrespect.

The UN Global Report on Ageism (World Health Organization 2021) outlines how age discrimination (ageism) has serious consequences on our health and wellbeing and is a huge cost to our society. It is linked to poorer physical and mental health, slower recovery from disability and associated with earlier death. The report identifies three recommendations to reduce ageism:

1. Prioritising investing in strategies supported by evidence that work - enacting policies and laws, implementing educational and intergenerational activities.

2. Improving data and research to gain a better understanding of ageism and how to reduce it.

3. Build a movement to change the narrative around age and ageing.

So what can we do now? We might be reliant on policy and law makers to ultimately address the first two recommendations of the UN report, but we have a voice and access to those who make those decisions. We need to use our influence for change where we can.

At a personal level we can build momentum of change. We need to examine and question the ageist beliefs and values we hold - often quite unconsciously. Some common examples are:

• We are too old to learn

• We will experience memory loss

• We are technologically challenged

• We are all vulnerable

• We are no longer capable of having agency over our own lives.

For most of us these things are simply not true. We need to stop diminishing ourselves simply because of our age. Ashton Applewhite in her seminal book ‘This Chair Rocks A Manifesto Against Ageism’ (2016 and 2019) says that we can change our prejudices about ageing; something that ‘requires genuine soul-searching and reflection’.

We also need to challenge those who do that to us. That means calling out our family, our whānau, our friends and our institutions when they try to demean us or others simply because of our age.

By taking responsibility for our own attitudes to ageing we will contribute to a movement for positive change.

The Aotearoa New Zealand National Forum on the Decade for Healthy Ageing(the Forum) brings together over 30 leading organisations and professionals committed to improving the experience of ageing in New Zealand. The goal of the Forum is to help shape a coordinated, evidence-based response to the opportunities arising from our ageing population. One of its priorities is challenging ageism by promoting positive, inclusive attitudes towards ageing and older people.

In June 2025 the Forum published The Age Friendly Media guide, which is available at www.nzdecade.org.nz . Journalists, media and communications practitioners are very influential in shaping perceptions about age and ageing. The imagery and words they choose to use impact on the way we think and feel about older people. The Guide is a practical tool which outlines five principles to help ensure that older people are represented fairly and equitably in the media. These principles are designed to challenge and make us reflect on the biases and stereotypes we have to ourselves and others:

1. People over 65 are as diverse as any other age cohort in our society. Being older does not necessarily mean that you are frail, vulnerable or dependent.

2. Use language that is relevant and respectful.

3. Avoid using terminology that evokes pity or portrays older people as vulnerable and needing protection.

4. Help to build relationships between generations. We will all age and we need to value every part of our life course. We have different contributions to make at different stages of our life - lets celebrate them

5. A picture paints a thousand words. It is important to use realistic and positive images of older people. Not all older people have a disability - and if they do, it is not always visible.

Ageism - the stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination directed to ourselves and others impacts negatively on our wellbeing by treating the later years of our lives as something that is not valued or celebrated. Living long, happy and healthy lives is something we can all aspire to. We can all contribute to combating ageism by changing the way we think, feel, and act towards age and ageing, by using our collective voice to ensure that our policies and laws are not unfair or discriminatory simply because of age.