Greetings from the NRC........................... October 2024 | |
The American Society on Aging (ASA) is an organization that mobilizes professionals who work with, and on behalf of, older adults. The ASA annually spearheads “Ageism Awareness Day,” which is on October 9th this year. It’s one day meant to focus attention on issues surrounding ageism and to advocate for change – flagging how our long-shaped prejudices and stereotypes can be detrimental to others and ourselves.
There’s no doubt that ageism causes significant harm. In the workplace, hiring, medicine, and in our internalized ideas of how we can or should behave, ageism damages our lives. The ASA quotes that those with more positive self-perceptions on ageing live an average of 7.5 years longer. If so, we have many within the Osher Institute Network who are adding years to their lives!
On a personal level, I wrestle with the concepts of anti-ageism. On one hand, I’ve thankfully beaten the shadow of workplace ageism by working for a leading university in service of OLLIs and older adults. That would not have been the case had I stayed in my original broadcast media career. On the other hand, I tacitly perpetuate cultural ageism in small ways like sending ageist birthday cards to my close friends – a sarcastic practice that won’t easily stop with my co-ageist lifelong buddies.
Over the past decade working within the Osher Network, I’ve learned a good deal about how ageism impacts healthcare. Geriatrician and author Dr. Louise Aronson, an Osher “cousin” in her affiliation with the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of California, San Francisco, taught me that the dearth of experienced geriatricians is a very real threat to older adult health. By 2025, the United States will need about 33,2000 geriatricians to care for older patients, but currently, only about half of geriatricians practice full-time.
Intuitively, we know how pernicious ageism is to the whole of our society. And this applies to the stereotypes we hold about younger people. We baby boomers and beyond need to recognize that ageism can go both ways.
For this month and beyond, may we encourage one another to take a stand on ageism. Call it out (with mutual respect) when we see it come from others, and recognize it personally, especially when we limit ourselves or accept these biases in the way we live our lives (or in sending birthday cards).
As we prepare this newsletter for post, we’ve learned about the massive destruction left by Hurricane Helene. The impact on our Osher colleagues and members across the Southeast is devastating, particularly in Asheville, Greenville, and Clemson. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all enduring trauma from this epic storm.
With all best wishes,
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A Celebration of Art: The Osher Collection of American Art | |
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Pictures: (Left) Georgia O’Keeffe, Front of Ranchos Church, 1930. Oil on canvas, 20 1/16 x 36 in. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Osher Collection. Image by Randy Dodson
(Right) George Bellows, In Virginia, 1908. Oil on canvas, 30 x 38 in.
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The recent Osher Online Fall Community Event, titled "Finding Beauty at Home and Abroad: The Osher Collection of American Art," offered a virtual deep dive into the Osher American art collection which was lovingly acquired over six decades by Bernard and Barbro Osher. This Zoom event attracted several hundred OLLI members from across the country who were eager to explore the cultural and artistic heritage represented by the Osher Collection.
The event, part of Osher Online’s ongoing commitment to provide quality online educational experiences, was led by Dr. Lauren Palmor, Associate Curator of American Art at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Dr. Palmor provided a comprehensive overview of the Osher Collection, a gift to the museum that includes a diverse array of paintings, drawings, and sculptures created between 1808 and 1960. The collection reflects a dynamic period in American art, showcasing the power and creativity of artists responding to the cultural shifts of the time.
Currently exhibited at the de Young Museum in San Francisco until October 20th, the collection is also celebrated through a beautifully crafted catalog that was highlighted during the event. This transformative gift from Bernard and Barbro Osher solidifies their legacy within the Bay Area's cultural landscape.
The event concluded with an engaging Q&A session, allowing participants to delve deeper into the collection’s significance.
Submitted by: Kevin DeCoux, Program Manager, Osher Online
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OLLI AT UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
A Juneteenth Celebration
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This summer, OLLI at University of Connecticut (UConn) offered its very first Juneteenth celebration. The event aimed to celebrate not only the history of the day, but also the history of how Black Americans helped shape OLLI’s home city of Waterbury.
OLLI collaborated with The Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, which showed its documentary film, “Common Threads: The Power of the African American Experience in Waterbury.” The museum also allowed OLLI to create a photography exhibit of Black history in Waterbury from its archives.
The keynote presentation: The History of Juneteenth: What it Means, and Where Do We Go From Here? was given by the new CEO of the Connecticut Community Foundation, Professor Kathy Taylor. Professor Taylor, a Waterbury resident, teaches legal studies and is an expert on bias, structural barriers, inclusive workplaces, and equitable hiring practices.
The event was free and open to the public. After the keynote presentation, OLLI offered a soul food lunch catered by a local restaurant, and music from a local jazz and blues band.
"The goals of our Juneteenth celebration were to share the message that we are here to serve everyone in our local and regional community and to provide great lifelong learning experiences," says OLLI Director Fiona de Merell. “We wanted to celebrate our city’s diversity and the history of how we all helped shape our city.” Fiona added, “It was important for us to bring people to the campus so they could see it as a friendly, accessible environment. We also made sure we offered free parking – and good food and music! We’re thrilled to have welcomed so many new people to OLLI, and we’re already planning for our next event in June 2025.”
Submitted by: Fiona de Merell, Program Director, OLLI at University of Connecticut
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INNOVATIVE COURSES AND CONTENT DELIVERY
Curriculum Corner
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Osher Institute at University of North Carolina Asheville
Performing Original Stand-Up Comedy
Course Length: 8 weeks (8, 2-hour sessions)
Course Instructor: Randy is a native New Yorker who has taught multiple film and video courses on comedy and comedians at College for Seniors. He has performed stand-up comedy since 1998 and has acted in regional theater since 2017. Randy is currently writing his celebration of life, an autobiographical show entitled Wasted on the Way.
Course Delivery: In-Person
Course Description: Your friends think you are funny. Your quips kill at get-togethers. Would you like to take it to the next level and craft a comedy set? If so, you have come to the right place! We will collaborate to shape and prepare a five- to seven-minute stand-up act, with the goal to perform to a live audience of OLLI comedy lovers. Notes: Participants may experience off-color language.
Of Note: In addition to the class meetings, participants will be performing their stand-up routines at a live show on November 15.
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QUICK TIPS FOR HELPING OPERATE AN OSHER INSTITUTE
Quick Tip - Is Your OLLI Staff Trained on Avoiding Ageism?
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How Osher Institute staff interact with OLLI members is an important factor in the OLLI experience. Ensure that all Institute staff have the tools and education to help them avoid ageism in their thoughts, actions, and language. Encourage staff to take advantage of any university sponsored training on ageism (for example: If LinkedIn Learning is offered at your university, there are several modules on Recognizing Ageism.)
Ensure that OLLI staff are familiar with these examples of the basic Do’s and Don’ts of Ageism:
Do’s
- Recognize and acknowledge the lived experience each member brings to the program.
- Be descriptive, yet respectful in your written and verbal language.
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Use terms such as older adults, older populations, and people over age X.
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When appropriate, use pronouns such as we and us versus they and them (we are all aging).
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Because acceptable terminology is often changing, stay up to date by referencing the AP Style Guide.
Don’ts
- Don’t dismiss an OLLI member’s frustrations, questions, or suggestions.
- Avoid language that directly or inadvertently perpetuates stereotypes.
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Avoid terms such as the aged, elderly, senior, senior citizen, geriatric, and boomer.
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Avoid phrases like of a certain age which can imply a negative connotation to aging.
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Avoid terms that imply there is a right or wrong way to age such as aging well or successful aging.
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CAREER OPENINGS IN THE OLLI NETWORK
Job Board
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National Resource Center for Osher Institutes, Northwestern University
Wieboldt Hall, Sixth Floor, 339 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
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