Change the Way You Think About Age! Centenarians Answer the Right Questions... by UNDESA DSPD

What is Age Discrimination and how can we stop it?

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Do we discriminate against older people? Do they have anything to offer us?

Your Challenge:

is to understand more about Age Discrimination and how we can stop it.

Follow this Process:

  1. Watch this video Change the way you think about age.

  2. Check this website and discuss the definition of discrimination provided at
    Discrimination: “Discrimination is the selection for unfavourable treatment of an individual or individuals on the basis of: gender, race, colour or ethnic or national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, social class, age marital status or family responsibilities.”

  3. Let’s focus on age. How do we discriminate against old people in terms of jobs, living conditions (placing in rest homes), entertainment (do you see many old people on TV or in movies?), attitudes (they are sometimes slower in movement and speech)?

  4. Take this deeper by considering how you treat old people in your city or region. This can include your grandparents or other older relatives and friends, or people who come across in the street. Do they have any special skills and knowledge that make them unique? Do they have habits that annoy you? How can you overcome this and focus on the good times you have with them, or the positive contributions they can make? Should we show more patience towards older people?

  5. Take action and come up with a plan with practical steps that can be made to improve discrimination against older people in your country.

  6. Capture and share some key improvements by writing to your local Member of Parliament or equivalent to suggest some major changes to reduce discrimination against older people. Record a video to put on youtube to accompany this letter.

Educator Notes

We suggest watching this video for up to the 2:00 mark to show some of the vitality of the older people being interviewed (longer if interest is maintained!).

To make it more accessible:
The above video should generate good general discussion. If the discussion prompts are too difficult focus on one of special interest (entertainment?) to lead off.

To make it more challenging:

Lead a discussion on how countries differ in their treatment of older people. In China for instance, most older people live with their families : China's elderly. How does your country compare with China? What are the good things and bad things about older people living in separate rest homes?


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