Fear of Missing Out
I’m having serious FOMO this week.
So many of my friends and colleagues that are working to #endageism have been convening at the @American Society on Aging’s #OnAging2024 Conference in San Francisco—and I am regrettably living vicariously through their experiences.
The truth is when registration opened for this event several months ago, it never occurred to me that I might want to attend. I’ve attended the conference a few times in years past, but much of the focus of the conference was on what I would call, the “downside” of aging. The exhibition hall vendors were particularly egregious—unless you wanted samples of pill organizers, Centrum Silver, adult diapers, or brochures promoting durable medical equipment.
Fast forward to 2024, and much of the focus of #OnAging has thankfully shifted to the “upside” of aging: feeling better about aging, aging better, living longer, etc. Even better, the exhibition hall now features pro-aging/anti-ageism products and messaging from vendors like my friend Jan Golden and her fabulous selection of Age-Friendly Vibes greeting cards.
Hence, my FOMO.
That said, it’s gratifying to see that the pro-aging/anti-ageism themes so many of us have promoting and advocating are finally beginning to gain traction among organizations that serve the older adult population. In fact, just a few days ago, Melissa Selcher, LinkedIn’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, replied to a comment I—and several others—had made about LinkedIn’s ageist B2B ads to let us know the ads had been taken down and that they intended to learn from their mistake.
Chalk up another victory for the collective work of pro-aging/anti-ageism advocates! It DOES make a difference!
As one of those advocates, I’m lucky to be in the company of so many other like-minded thought-leaders and professionals: Janine Vanderburg, Jeanette Leardi, Jan Golden, Erin Maruzzella, Wendy Silveira-Steinway, Sara Breindel, Kris Geerken, MHA, Ashton Applewhite, Therese Ellery, Doug Dickson, Barbara Brooks, and Helen Dennis, to name just a few.
The fact is ageism has been baked into society’s collective psyche and internalized by people of all ages for decades—and deprogramming that messaging may take just as long (I hope not). But the more of us who raise our voices, who continue to shed light on this still-accepted form of discrimination, and who say NO MORE, the sooner we’ll turn this ship around.
In the meantime, I am planning to be there for next year’s #OnAging conference—with bells on. Because #AgingisLiving, and it’s high time we began to celebrate it.