Europe has the largest percentage of older adults worldwide. By 2060, 28 out of every 100 people will be over that age. At the same time, there is a high prevalence of ageism; the complex and often negative construction of old age, in society at large, and among researchers and practitioners in particular. The detrimental effects of ageism or age inequality are substantial in all aspects of life. In the workforce, older adults are less likely to find a job and in many countries, are arbitrarily forced to retire at a certain age. Confronting ageism from co-workers challenges the job performance of older workers, and is associated with poorer mental health. In the health care system, older adults are less likely to be offered expensive or innovative treatments, and are often excluded from clinical trials, which could have helped to define geriatric doses and analyse basic medication efficacy and safety. Moreover, older adults disproportionally use healthcare services, and the availability of social and health services for this population is limited. These problems and barriers due to ageism have substantial implications on the quality of life and well-being of older adults and their active involvement in society. Also, in the media, older adults are often presented inappropriately. Finally, at the individual level, we all hold age-related stereotypes that play a substantial role in our health and wellbeing, as well as in our aging processes. Our negative views of aging may lead to poor health outcomes and increased mortality.
Based on these factors, Europe has a societal mandate to lead research and policy in the field of ageism. We aimed to develop an innovative training network on the topic of ageism. To date, research on the topic has been fragmented and is still lagging behind research on the other two "isms," namely sexism and racism. To address these shortcomings, EuroAgeism has focused on harmonising different theoretical and methodological disciplines in the field of ageism. This network relied on a multi-disciplinary cooperation in the training of a new generation of researchers in this field, using expertise of various disciplines. Moreover, EuroAgeism was dedicated to the direct dissemination of research findings to policy stakeholders and the public in order to decrease ageism in everyday life, in clinical and in social practice. The network aimed to improve the understanding of the antecedents, manifestations and consequences of ageism in several spheres of life including the workforce, health, media, social relations and everyday activities. In addition, the network was designed to develop intervention options that aim to combat ageism. The innovative aspects of the proposed research program concern its international, multi-disciplinary, and multi-sectorial aspects needed for a science-policy dialogue and to ensure the relevance of the research to policy stakeholders.
