LeadingAge Receives Grant for Ageism Research

Washington D.C. (February 26, 2019)—Researchers at the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston and Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology are partnering on a new study funded by a grant from the Retirement Research Foundation to evaluate the effectiveness of a video-based workforce training program focused on ageism.

The researchers will explore whether the tools and workforce training approach developed in 2018 by a VCU team led by the VCU Department of Gerontology associate professor Dr. Tracey Gendron have any effect on the self-reported attitudes about aging of direct care workers and their supervisory staff, as well as on those workers’ behaviors, job satisfaction and intent to leave the job.

The study results will help determine the impact the program has on participants’ ability to recognize and understand behaviors and attitudes about aging, and to improve job satisfaction and retention among workers.

“The training is for all staff, no matter the rank or level of expertise. We believe it is important to take an organizational approach to this,” says Dr. Robyn Stone, co-director, LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston. “Having everyone on the same page is one of the key elements of successful culture change, and can lead to longer-term impact and improved incomes.”

Adds Dr. Gendron, “An evidence-based ageism intervention is essential for our workforce. Our previous research shows that attitudes about aging impact both job satisfaction and career commitment, both of which affect quality of care provided. Knowledge of ageism and attitudes about aging must be a core competency for everone working in the aging services network.”

The ageism training program, created by VCU’s Department of Gerontology, is designed as a 1-hour in-service training for people working with older adults in a variety of settings. It includes a 10-minute video, a guide for session facilitators and a reflection workbook for participants.

Researchers will work with LeadingAge state affiliates in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia to recruit 45 LeadingAge members who will participate in three levels of the evaluation, slated to be conducted from March to August, according to a description of the study.

“Attitudes about aging impact health outcomes,” said Dr. Taryn Patterson, who represents the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston on the joint research team. “People who have positive perceptions of aging live more than seven years longer than people whose perceptions of aging are negative. Our goal is to measure whether this training helps workers become more aware of how they perceive their own ageist beliefs so they can, hopefully, modify those perceptions.”

Since the training program’s creation in 2018, it has been piloted at eight sites in Virginia, including an adult day center, a life-plan community, assisted living communities, and community-based organizations. Of the 70 participants who completed an anonymous survey about the training, 90 percent said the training would motivate them to change how they think or act.

Visit ltsscenter.org for more information.