How do we break the grip of ageism and unleash the potential of older and younger people? It takes a movement, with role models, organizational leaders, researchers, the media – and fearless champions like Ashton Applewhite, 2016 Next Avenue Influencer of the Year and Encore Network member.
Ashton is making full use of her growing influence, as her speaking schedule shows. In the next few months, Ashton is venturing far from her NYC hometown to speak at the Mid-America Institute on Aging and Wellness, Evansville IN; Pioneering a New Culture of Aging, Denver CO; Game Changers Festival, Bismarck ND; and the Bioneers Conference, San Rafael CA.
For years, Ashton has challenged stereotypes in her This Chair Rocks website and Yo, Is This Ageist blog, highlighted research findings that debunk myths in presentations and encouraged audiences to address ageism wherever they see it. Her 2016 book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, pumps up the volume even further:
“People are happiest at the beginnings and the ends of their lives. The vast majority of Americans over 65 live independently. The older people get, the less afraid they are of dying. Aging is a natural, lifelong, powerful process. So how come so many of us unthinkingly assume that depression, diapers, and dementia lie ahead? That the 20th century’s astonishing leap in life expectancy is a disaster-in-the making? Underlying all the hand-wringing is ageism: discrimination that sidelines and silences older people.”
Get a booster shot of Ashton’s ideas and energy in this All Things Considered interview from May 2018, her TED talk and her website, offering a reading list and downloadable resources on confronting ageism, starting a consciousness raising group and exploring ageism through role-play workshops.
Contact Ashton here and connect on her social media sites:
- Twitter: @thischairrocks
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThisChairRocks
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thischairrocks/
Published: July 24, 2018