Ageism First Aid - Institutions
Ageism First Aid is an online multi-module course designed to help change the common negative misconceptions and myths about aging by replacing them with facts that should be common knowledge. The course will support factual conversations about aging and spark widespread use of positive aging-related language among people in the health and helping professions.
As faculty using Ageism First Aid (AFA) as an instructional component in your courses or program, requiring students to complete AFA at the beginning of introductory courses will help ensure all your students are prepared for interactions with older adults that may be required by your course assignments, service learning requirements, work experience, and/or research. The AFA course will help reduce ageism in early writing assignments and discussions, serve as a leveler in courses with students from a variety of disciplines, and provide scaffolding and foreshadowing throughout the course.
The course is written for a broad audience, ranging from high school students to professionals holding graduate degrees and doctorates.
Ageism First Aid contains three modules:
Module One is Foundation Knowledge. The first step in Ageism First Aid is to provide you with facts about older adults and the aging process. These facts will help replace ideas you may have about older adults that are based on misinformation about aging.
Module Two is Ageism Explained. The second step in Ageism First Aid is to help you understand how we learn and develop ageism from early childhood through adulthood and to introduce you to the concept of ageism awareness. Ageism awareness will help you avoid ageism and protect you against the effects of ageism as you grow older.
Module Three is Respectful, Effective, and Appropriate Communication Training. The third step in Ageism First Aid is to provide you with basic communication training as well as some specialized training for how to interact with older adults. The training will help you become a more effective communicator with your family, in your community, and at work.
Take Advantage of the AGHE Referral Royalty Program
Your institution can receive a portion of the learner fees when faculty at your institution use Ageism First Aid in their courses and promote its use in other programs at the institution and through their local Aging Network.
To find out more about how your institution can participate in the Referral Royalty Program, contact Judie Lieu at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Registration
Cost
Students: $15
Non-Students $20
All users must create a new learner account and select their associated institution and whether or not they are a student.
AFA Acknowledgment Statement
The Ageism First Aid (AFA) project was initially funded by a grant from the Retirement Research Foundation through the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) Founders Innovation Fund and the AGHE Founders 3.0: Special Projects Initiative. AGHE is the Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) educational branch. All three organizations are dedicated reducing ageism and aging stigma and improving the quality of life and overall well-being of older Americans.
The AFA course copyright is held by The Gerontological Society of America.
The AFA project was sponsored by the AGHE Academic Program Development Committee and is a product of collaboration among AGHE member faculty. Special thanks go out to all the contributors, including Laurinda Reynolds, Tina Kruger Newsham, Joann Montepare, and Becky Knight, and the reviewers Janet Frank, Marilyn Gugliucci, and Carrie Andreoletti.
Technical Support
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