An overarching goal of ICAA’s Changing the Way We Age® Campaign is to shift society’s perceptions of aging. The focus of this International Council on Active Aging® campaign is to inform the media, marketers, families and individuals about the untapped human potential associated with aging.

As it stands now, older people are told (and therefore tell themselves) on a regular basis that they’re too old to engage in many life-affirming activities that contribute to society, such as working or going back to work if they wish; gaining new knowledge; learning new activities; and being physically active. This simply is not true for most people.

Despite having years of job experience, older adults are not valued by the companies they work for; despite having high disposable incomes in many cases, they are not perceived as valuable to marketers. This means that companies are overlooking important human resources, wasting marketing dollars, and losing sales.

There is something seriously wrong with this picture. So why does it exist?

In many cases, society’s perceptions of aging focus on decline and diminished value. These negative views can create low expectations of aging that extend into all areas of life—from the workplace to healthcare to leisure activities—and have an impact on how society and older people view this stage of life. By changing views and expectations of aging, the ICAA campaign will help society manage population aging better, and promote a new, more vibrant and meaningful way of aging. This is ICAA’s vision.

ICAA has been changing the way we age for the past 10 years, as this is ICAA’s mission. The new campaign represents an expansion of that mission with specific initiatives, guidelines and resources aimed at marketers, businesses, individuals and families—and in partnership with organizations committed to overturning ageist stereotypes and demonstrating the value, at every level, of promoting active aging.