Educational interventions—training in schools as well as workshops and courses—provide more nuanced and realistic information about aging, and emphasize the diversity of older adults’ journeys, their contribution to society and their skills, rather than their limitations. Whether the participants are elementary or high school students, or future professionals in health, education or intervention, these educational initiatives allow for:

• Identifying and deconstructing stereotypes and prejudices; and
• Developing a more positive view of aging, of respect and empathy for older adults. 

Through visual means, such as videos and drawings, educational strategies allow for:

• Making connections with our personal experiences;
• Being aware of the effects of ageism on our professional practice;
• Developing skills to create ties with older people; and
• Being more comfortable in the context of intergenerational contact. 

In health and social services training, teachers who put forward a realistic and positive view of aging have a significant influence on students and greatly contribute to breaking with ageism. Being brought into contact with the realities of aging can sometimes be anxiety-provoking for younger people and people studying health and social services, since this contact can awaken their fears and confirm some of their stereotypes or prejudices. Hence the importance of also encouraging intergenerational contact in order to promote the positive impacts of educational interventions.

A few examples of initiatives 

One project[1] conducted in a school with 782 eleven to fourteen-year-olds uncovered that, with the help of Positively Aging teaching materials, aging-related stereotypes abated. Using examples from geriatrics and gerontology (e.g., the effect of aging on bones or the onset of diabetes, the cultural and social diversity of older adults), as well as practical exercises, the speakers observed a decrease in aging-related stereotypes among the youths. 

Another initiative[2] conducted in a school over a 4-week period with 118 youths aged approximately 14 years old found that prejudices against older adults significantly declined thanks to a program that addressed older adults in society, stereotypes, mutual respect and interpersonal skills. Through discussions, role-playing, case studies, and homework assignments, this program helped not only reduce stigmas, but also enhance young people’s respect for older adults. 

Study references :

[1] Lichtenstein, M. J., Pruski, L. A., Marshall, C. E., Blalock, C. L., Murphy, D. L., Plaetke, R., & Lee, S. (2001). The positively aging teaching materials improve middle school students’ images of older people. The Gerontologist, 41(3), 322–332. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/41.3.322 

[2] Mellor, D., McCabe, M., Rizzuto, L., & Gruner, A. (2015). Respecting our elders: Evaluation of an educational program for adolescent students to promote respect toward older adults. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 85(2), 181–190. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000041