Acting Against Ageism, A Conversation with Ashton Applewhite

From childhood on, we’re barraged by messages that it’s sad to be old. That wrinkles are embarrassing, and old people useless. Yet research shows that people are happiest at the beginning and at the end of their lives. Dementia rates are falling. Older adults enjoy better mental health than the young or middle-aged. So how come so many of us assume that depression, diapers, and dementia lie ahead? Cathleen Toomey, host of the award-winning podcast Seniority Authority, chats with Ashton about the work she has done to catalyze a movement, expose ageist myths, and examine the roots of ageism in our society and culture.