Welcome! This is ilana Landsberg-Lewis, your host for the Wisdom at Work podcast: Elderwomen, Older women and Grandmothers on the Move!
What follows is a special and exciting 10-part series... 'Age With Rights and Dignity' - 10 interviews in which we will hear from older and younger advocates from different corners of the world. These committed champions and advocates will share with us why they care about the rights of older persons, and what they are doing to help bring a new United Nations Convention on the rights of older persons into being - for you and me, no matter how old we are now!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome.
This is Ilana Landsberg-Lewis,your host for the Wisdom at Work
podcast.
Elder Women, older Women andGrandmothers on the Move.
What follows is a special andexciting 10-part series.
Have you ever thought about howhuman rights plays an essential
and meaningful role in ourolder age?
Well, you're in the right place.
You're listening to Age withRights and Dignity 10 interviews
(00:23):
in which we will hear fromolder and younger advocates from
different corners of the world.
These committed champions willshare with us why they care
about the rights of olderpersons and what they are doing
to help bring a new UnitedNations Convention on the Rights
of Older Persons into being,for you and for me, no matter
how old we are.
(00:43):
Now Join the movement and raiseyour voice.
Go to the Age Noble HumanRights Day 2024 blog to find out
more that isA-G-E-K-N-O-W-B-L-E dot com and
sign the global petition for theUN Convention on the Rights of
(01:05):
Older Persons.
I'm also excited to introduceyou to two wonderful guest
interviewers, younger women whoare committed to these issues
and will be joining me in thisseries to interview some of our
esteemed guests Faith Young andKira Goenis.
Thank you for joining us, enjoythis special initiative and my
thanks to Margaret Young, thefounder of Age Noble for
(01:27):
bringing this opportunity to usto hear from these important
guests who promote the humanrights and the dignity of older
persons the world over for thisinterview.
What, in your lived experienceor your education has led you to
get involved in promoting therights and now amplifying the
(01:50):
voices of older people?
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Well, my grandmother helped raise me.
I was very fortunate to livewith her and she was so
important to me when I was youngshe still is.
I adore her completely.
So, yeah, being raisedpartially by her was a
foundational experience in how Ibegan to navigate the world.
So I always felt very lucky tohave my grandmother as a central
(02:13):
figure in my life, to learnfrom her experiences and stories
and wisdom.
But I think as I got a littlebit older I learned just how
much older adults are able toenrich their families and
communities.
So I'd say that that early bondreally ignited this passion in
working with older people for me.
(02:34):
When I was 19, I startedvolunteering at long-term care
and worked in various sectors ofhousing foundations all through
my early 20s.
So those experiences reallydeepened my understanding of the
challenges that older adultsactually face, anywhere from
systemic ageism to unmet mentalhealth needs.
(02:55):
So that is what inspired me topursue psychology and then
gerontology.
So advocating for older adultsand their rights and mental
health it's very personal andalso trying to create a society
that's not afraid of aging, sothat you don't feel discarded.
(03:16):
My grandmother's influence andthe influence of many other
grandmothers have definitelyshaped not just my career path
advocacy, but truly who I am asa woman.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
That really resonates for me, because that's my
experience too, when I'm workingwith and talking to and
learning from grandmothers andolder women in particular.
I hear a lot about theircommitment to intergenerational
work, but I think it's reallyinteresting to hear from younger
women like you.
What does it mean to you andwhy do you think it's important?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
I think that intergenerational work and
connection is incrediblyimportant because it's about
building meaningful connectionsbetween youth and elders where
their knowledge and values andexperience can flow both ways.
So there is an importantexchange, I think, that takes
place in order to progress.
(04:05):
I think for youth, thisintergenerational solidarity
offers the chance to learn fromexperience, to gain wisdom and
context and perspective that youjust simply cannot have at the
age that you're in.
You know the older people are alifeline to the past and
(04:26):
learning from them is incrediblyvaluable, from understanding
historical movements, civilrights, environmental advocacy,
to just personal stories oftheir lives.
And I think for older peopletoo, working with younger
generations I think is equallyempowering for them, because
(04:49):
when you're given a space whereyou can share and feel heard by
youth, I think you can restassured in the sense that your
legacy will be carried forward.
Intergenerational collaborationis essential because, at the
end of the day, it reallyreminds you that you're a part
of a continuum.
When youth bring fresh ideasand older people bring
(05:12):
experience and knowledge,there's this wonderful synergy
that's created that really is adriver for meaningful change.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Beautifully said.
I did want to ask you, as ayoung woman in particular, what
are your thoughts about genderand aging.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Gender and aging.
It's so complex, it's such aunique intersection for younger
and older women.
But I think for older womenthey are prone to face this
double discrimination of ageismand sexism that often increase
their vulnerabilities.
So I think that having aconvention for the rights of
(05:46):
older people will be essentialto address these inequalities,
but I think for older women itwould more importantly kind of
affirm their value andcontributions to society while
also challenging these harmfulstereotypes, that kind of put
these frameworks into action.
Ultimately, as a young personlooking up to older women, I
(06:09):
think that I'm inspired mostlyby their resilience and their
leadership and just the truedepth of their lived experiences
.
In my work and also in theseinterviews, and I've heard many
stories of older women who havefaced immense challenges and yet
they continue to rise asadvocates and change makers.
(06:32):
Many of them spent their livesnavigating systems that were
simply not designed for them.
Convention, I think, would alsogive them the protection that
they need, but it would alsoamplify their voices on a global
scale.
So I definitely look up to themas role models.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Makes a lot of sense and it's a wonderful way of
framing it.
I thought it would be reallyinteresting to hear from you if
it was something that reallystruck you in the interviews
you've been involved with orother experiences you've had
working with older people,something that's really stood
out for you and that stays withyou.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Well, something that continues to strike me and Moira
kind of touched on it, uh, butit's how life gets better with
age.
This completely checked my ownbias and it's shifted how I
perceive aging, because it's socounterintuitive to what society
(07:28):
says.
You know you, when you you'redeclining, you're at a loss.
Moira talked about co-foundingthe Pass it On Network when she
was in her 60s and there'ssomething so exciting that comes
with knowing that there's stillso much more out there for you
to discover in yourself.
(07:49):
So, yeah, aging as a liberatingprocess is striking to me.
This self-assurance andauthenticity really is an
invaluable gift that reallyseems to only come with aging.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Now that the working group at the UN is finished and
that decade-plus process has nowcome to an end, I guess I'd
like to ask you two things whatdo you see happening to bring it
to fruition, and what would yousay to young people like
yourself about the importance ofengaging in this process and a
(08:24):
meaningful role that youngerpeople can have in being
involved in bringing theconvention to fruition?
Speaker 2 (08:29):
I think that the convention.
It's so important Obviously weknow that and its potential to
transform how society can trulyvalue and treat older adults.
My interview with Catherine wetalked about addressing neglect
and financial insecuritydiscrimination.
So the convention is key tohave this legally binding
(08:53):
framework that will holdgovernments, organizations,
institutions accountable forprotecting older people and
their dignity and rights.
But I do believe that it's morethan just law.
It's also a cultural statement.
I believe that older adultsmatter and that their
(09:13):
contributions to society areessential and that aging is a
stage of life that is filledwith strength and wisdom.
So I think that for youngerpeople, it's key.
You're fighting for your ownfuture.
Aging is a universal experience, one that you'd be lucky to be
(09:34):
a part of.
So, bringing this to fruition,I think that greater advocacy
from younger generations isessential essentials.
So, yeah, I'd say that, foryoung people, advocating for the
rights of older persons istruly about shaping a better
(09:55):
future for us all.
To bring it back to olderpeople as well I think their
stories and their voices are theheart of this movement.
Stories and advocacy are themost powerful tools that we have
to show the world why aconvention is necessary.
So having younger peopleinvolved isn't just about adding
(10:15):
this kind of fresh new energy.
It's about building bridges andfilling gaps between these
generations to ensure that thetorch that they've carried so
far down the line continues.
So I think that together, thisintergenerational partnership
between the youth and elders hasthe power to turn the
(10:36):
convention into a reality, tocreate a legacy of rights and
respect for many generations tocome.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
That's a perfect rallying cry.
Thank you so much, carol, foryour contribution to this
project, but also thecontribution that I know you'll
continue to make, and I'm surethat we'll be hearing more from
you on this and more aroundsolidarity work in the future.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
I appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
Welcome.
This is Ilana Landsberg-Lewis,your host for the Wisdom at Work
podcast.
Elder Women, older Women andGrandmothers on the Move.
What follows is a special andexciting 10-part series.
Have you ever thought about howhuman rights plays an essential
and meaningful role in ourolder age?
Well, you're in the right place.
You're listening to Age withRights and Dignity 10 interviews
(00:23):
in which we will hear fromolder and younger advocates from
different corners of the world.
These committed champions willshare with us why they care
about the rights of olderpersons and what they are doing
to help bring a new UnitedNations Convention on the Rights
of Older Persons into being,for you and for me, no matter
how old we are.
(00:43):
Now Join the movement and raiseyour voice.
Go to the Age Noble HumanRights Day 2024 blog to find out
more that isA-G-E-K-N-O-W-B-L-E dot com and
sign the global petition for theUN Convention on the Rights of
(01:05):
Older Persons.
I'm also excited to introduceyou to two wonderful guest
interviewers, younger women whoare committed to these issues
and will be joining me in thisseries to interview some of our
esteemed guests Faith Young andKira Goenis.
Thank you for joining us, enjoythis special initiative and my
thanks to Margaret Young, thefounder of Age Noble for
(01:27):
bringing this opportunity to usto hear from these important
guests who promote the humanrights and the dignity of older
persons the world over for thisinterview.
What, in your lived experienceor your education has led you to
get involved in promoting therights and now amplifying the
(01:50):
voices of older people?
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Well, my grandmother helped raise me.
I was very fortunate to livewith her and she was so
important to me when I was youngshe still is.
I adore her completely.
So, yeah, being raisedpartially by her was a
foundational experience in how Ibegan to navigate the world.
So I always felt very lucky tohave my grandmother as a central
(02:13):
figure in my life, to learnfrom her experiences and stories
and wisdom.
But I think as I got a littlebit older I learned just how
much older adults are able toenrich their families and
communities.
So I'd say that that early bondreally ignited this passion in
working with older people for me.
(02:34):
When I was 19, I startedvolunteering at long-term care
and worked in various sectors ofhousing foundations all through
my early 20s.
So those experiences reallydeepened my understanding of the
challenges that older adultsactually face, anywhere from
systemic ageism to unmet mentalhealth needs.
(02:55):
So that is what inspired me topursue psychology and then
gerontology.
So advocating for older adultsand their rights and mental
health it's very personal andalso trying to create a society
that's not afraid of aging, sothat you don't feel discarded.
(03:16):
My grandmother's influence andthe influence of many other
grandmothers have definitelyshaped not just my career path
advocacy, but truly who I am asa woman.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
That really resonates for me, because that's my
experience too, when I'm workingwith and talking to and
learning from grandmothers andolder women in particular.
I hear a lot about theircommitment to intergenerational
work, but I think it's reallyinteresting to hear from younger
women like you.
What does it mean to you andwhy do you think it's important?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
I think that intergenerational work and
connection is incrediblyimportant because it's about
building meaningful connectionsbetween youth and elders where
their knowledge and values andexperience can flow both ways.
So there is an importantexchange, I think, that takes
place in order to progress.
(04:05):
I think for youth, thisintergenerational solidarity
offers the chance to learn fromexperience, to gain wisdom and
context and perspective that youjust simply cannot have at the
age that you're in.
You know the older people are alifeline to the past and
(04:26):
learning from them is incrediblyvaluable, from understanding
historical movements, civilrights, environmental advocacy,
to just personal stories oftheir lives.
And I think for older peopletoo, working with younger
generations I think is equallyempowering for them, because
(04:49):
when you're given a space whereyou can share and feel heard by
youth, I think you can restassured in the sense that your
legacy will be carried forward.
Intergenerational collaborationis essential because, at the
end of the day, it reallyreminds you that you're a part
of a continuum.
When youth bring fresh ideasand older people bring
(05:12):
experience and knowledge,there's this wonderful synergy
that's created that really is adriver for meaningful change.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Beautifully said.
I did want to ask you, as ayoung woman in particular, what
are your thoughts about genderand aging.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Gender and aging.
It's so complex, it's such aunique intersection for younger
and older women.
But I think for older womenthey are prone to face this
double discrimination of ageismand sexism that often increase
their vulnerabilities.
So I think that having aconvention for the rights of
(05:46):
older people will be essentialto address these inequalities,
but I think for older women itwould more importantly kind of
affirm their value andcontributions to society while
also challenging these harmfulstereotypes, that kind of put
these frameworks into action.
Ultimately, as a young personlooking up to older women, I
(06:09):
think that I'm inspired mostlyby their resilience and their
leadership and just the truedepth of their lived experiences
.
In my work and also in theseinterviews, and I've heard many
stories of older women who havefaced immense challenges and yet
they continue to rise asadvocates and change makers.
(06:32):
Many of them spent their livesnavigating systems that were
simply not designed for them.
Convention, I think, would alsogive them the protection that
they need, but it would alsoamplify their voices on a global
scale.
So I definitely look up to themas role models.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Makes a lot of sense and it's a wonderful way of
framing it.
I thought it would be reallyinteresting to hear from you if
it was something that reallystruck you in the interviews
you've been involved with orother experiences you've had
working with older people,something that's really stood
out for you and that stays withyou.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Well, something that continues to strike me and Moira
kind of touched on it, uh, butit's how life gets better with
age.
This completely checked my ownbias and it's shifted how I
perceive aging, because it's socounterintuitive to what society
(07:28):
says.
You know you, when you you'redeclining, you're at a loss.
Moira talked about co-foundingthe Pass it On Network when she
was in her 60s and there'ssomething so exciting that comes
with knowing that there's stillso much more out there for you
to discover in yourself.
(07:49):
So, yeah, aging as a liberatingprocess is striking to me.
This self-assurance andauthenticity really is an
invaluable gift that reallyseems to only come with aging.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Now that the working group at the UN is finished and
that decade-plus process has nowcome to an end, I guess I'd
like to ask you two things whatdo you see happening to bring it
to fruition, and what would yousay to young people like
yourself about the importance ofengaging in this process and a
(08:24):
meaningful role that youngerpeople can have in being
involved in bringing theconvention to fruition?
Speaker 2 (08:29):
I think that the convention.
It's so important Obviously weknow that and its potential to
transform how society can trulyvalue and treat older adults.
My interview with Catherine wetalked about addressing neglect
and financial insecuritydiscrimination.
So the convention is key tohave this legally binding
(08:53):
framework that will holdgovernments, organizations,
institutions accountable forprotecting older people and
their dignity and rights.
But I do believe that it's morethan just law.
It's also a cultural statement.
I believe that older adultsmatter and that their
(09:13):
contributions to society areessential and that aging is a
stage of life that is filledwith strength and wisdom.
So I think that for youngerpeople, it's key.
You're fighting for your ownfuture.
Aging is a universal experience, one that you'd be lucky to be
(09:34):
a part of.
So, bringing this to fruition,I think that greater advocacy
from younger generations isessential essentials.
So, yeah, I'd say that, foryoung people, advocating for the
rights of older persons istruly about shaping a better
(09:55):
future for us all.
To bring it back to olderpeople as well I think their
stories and their voices are theheart of this movement.
Stories and advocacy are themost powerful tools that we have
to show the world why aconvention is necessary.
So having younger peopleinvolved isn't just about adding
(10:15):
this kind of fresh new energy.
It's about building bridges andfilling gaps between these
generations to ensure that thetorch that they've carried so
far down the line continues.
So I think that together, thisintergenerational partnership
between the youth and elders hasthe power to turn the
(10:36):
convention into a reality, tocreate a legacy of rights and
respect for many generations tocome.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
That's a perfect rallying cry.
Thank you so much, carol, foryour contribution to this
project, but also thecontribution that I know you'll
continue to make, and I'm surethat we'll be hearing more from
you on this and more aroundsolidarity work in the future.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
I appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
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