The PALETTE program provides intergenerational creative arts classes and cultural outings to improve attitudes towards and competencies in working with older adults. Since 2013, over 170 older adults and healthcare students have participated in visual arts and movement arts activities. Evaluations show improved student attitudes towards aging and decreased aging anxieties. The program fosters strong intergenerational relationships and highlights the individuality of older adults.

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2. “More training in geriatrics and gerontology is needed
for health care providers in order to improve their
attitudes toward and competencies for working with
older people and their families.”
Hooyman & Kiyak (2008)
© PALETTE 2016

3. Intergenerational Creative Arts
• Launched in 2013 with
visual arts
• Expanded in 2015
to movement arts
© PALETTE 2016

4. Community & University Partners
• Geriatric Training and Education initiative
administered by the Virginia Center on Aging
• VCU Council for Community Engagement
Funders
• VCU Department of
Gerontology
• VCU School of Pharmacy
• VCU Department of Dance
& Choreography
• VCU Department of
Physical Therapy
• VCU School of Social Work
• VCU School of Dentistry
• Senior Connections
• Age Wave
• Weinstein JCC
• Visual Arts Center of
Richmond
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5. PALETTE Video
© PALETTE 2016

6. Structure of PALETTE Programs
Student and senior volunteers
partner to participate in:
– 5 creative art classes
– 1 cultural outing
– 1 opening reception/final
showcase
Students and senior volunteers
separately attend:
– 1 orientation & training
seminar
– 1 reflection seminar
© PALETTE 2016

7. AGEISM & STEREOTYPES OF AGING
If you’ve met one older adult, then you’ve met one older adult!
© PALETTE 2016

8. BE HONEST: HOW MANY OF THE FOLLOWING
COMMENTS HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED TO
BE TRUE?
• Older adults are often confused/don’t know what’s going
on.
• Older adults are lonely and unhappy with their lives.
• Older adults are conservative and stuck in their ways.
• Older adults are unable to adapt to change or learn new
things.
• Older adults have no interest in nor capability of engaging
in sexual activity.
© PALETTE 2016

9. Do you say “aaawww, isn’t she cute?”
when you see an older woman doing
something a younger person might do
(e.g., kissing her partner, playing a game)?
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10. AGEISM & INFANTILIZING
• How we treat older adults is influenced by social factors including
personal assumptions, expectations, and fears about growing older
• Infantilizing of older adults (“aww isn’t she cute?”) carries a negative
connotation and devalues the individual
• Most people believe that old age = physical disabilities, poor health, an
inability to think clearly & quickly, and having a negative outlook on life
• Research has shown that health care professionals are significantly
more negative in their attitudes toward older patients than they are
toward younger patients
© PALETTE 2016

11. • Birthday card aisle
• Anti-aging
movement
• Lack of positive
images in ads & on
TV
• Demeaning
language
MANIFESTATION OF AGEISM IN
SOCIETY
© PALETTE 2016

12. • Businesses
• State welfare
funds
• Human service
professionals
• Graduate
education
PERPETUATION OF AGEISM IN
INSTITUTIONS
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13. HOW YOU CAN AVOID
PROMOTING AGEISM
• Recognize and explore your own feelings and attitudes toward aging
Pay attention to the way you communicate with older adults
• Correct ageist stereotyping
Help others to understand the dangers of infantilizing older adults
• Avoid using ageist terms and language
They come up more often than we even realize! “little old lady”
“over the hill” “one foot in the grave”
© PALETTE 2016

14. Since its launch in 2013…
• Over 170 older adults and interprofessional students engaged in
PALETTE programs
• Evaluation results show:
• Improved students attitudes
toward older adults and
aging
• Decreased student aging
anxieties
• PALETTE fostered an
environment for:
– building strong intergenerational relationships
– engaging older adults with their peers
– highlighting the individualities of older adults
– “giving older adults center-stage”
© PALETTE 2016

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21. SOURCES
• Chop, W. C., & Robnett, R. H. (1999). Gerontology for the health care professional (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.
• Cohen, G (2006). The creativity and aging study: The impact of professionally conducted cultural programs on older adults. NEA Final Report No
4-30-06. Washington, DC: National Endowment for the Arts.
• The Gerontological Society of America (2012). Communicating with older adults: An evidence-based view of what really works.
Retrieved December 12, 2013, from http://www.agingresources.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/GSA_Communicating-
with-Older-Adults-low-Final.pdf
• Grabinski, C. J. (2007). 101 careers in gerontology. New York: Springer Pub.
• Hooyman, N. R., & Kiyak, H. A. (1988). Social gerontology: A multidisciplinary perspective. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Knowles, M. (1984). The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species (3rd Ed.). Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing.
• National Alliance for Caregiving & AARP. (2004). Caregiving in the U.S. Washington, DC.
• Projections of Future Growth of the Older Population. Retrieved from Administration on Aging website: http://www.aoa.gov/
Aging_Statistics/future_growth/future_growth.aspx
• Reichstadt J, Sengupta G, Depp C. A, Palinkas L. A, Jeste D. V. (2010) Older adults’ perspectives on successful aging: Qualitative
interviews. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry,18(7):567–575.
• Robinson, Barry (1994). Curriculum module on aging. School of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley.
• US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging (2011). A profile of older americans: 2011. Retrieved from
http://www.aoa.gov/Aging_Statistics/Profile/2011/docs/2011profile.pdf
• Vincent, G. K., & Velkoff, V. A. (2010). THE NEXT FOUR DECADES: The older population in the United States: 2010 to 2050. Retrieved
from US Census Bureau website: http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p25-1138.pdf
• Werner, C. A. (2011). The older population: 2010. Retrieved from US Census Bureau website: http://www.census.gov/prod/
cen2010/briefs/c2010br-09.pdf
© PALETTE 2016

22. www.paletteprogram.org
srubin@paletteprogram.org