"Communicating with Older Adults" is a concise and engaging video designed to help healthcare professionals improve their communication techniques with older adult patients. This video highlights common barriers caused by age-related biases, emphasizing how poor communication can lead to misdiagnoses, delayed diagnoses, improper treatment, medication mistakes, distrust, and patient dissatisfaction. Through practical communication strategies—such as speaking directly to and facing patients, asking open-ended questions, monitoring body language, using visual aids, and minimizing distractions—healthcare providers can foster trust and ensure effective, person-centered care. As the aging population grows, mastering clear communication and building trusting relationships with patients are essential for delivering high-quality healthcare that is free of age bias.  

Support provided by AARP. 

"What is Ageism?" is a brief video that explores how stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination directed towards oneself or others based on age can impact the health, quality of healthcare received, and overall well-being of older adults. The common ways ageism manifests in medical settings, including assumptions about health and treatment, underrepresentation in clinical research, and communication barriers, are highlighted. It also sheds light on how ageism in healthcare can result in overutilization and increased costs of healthcare, with billions spent annually on avoidable healthcare costs. By recognizing and addressing biases, healthcare professionals can provide equitable, patient-centered care that prioritizes a person’s needs and not assumptions based on age.  

Support provided by AARP. 

This GSA Momentum Discussions webinar, “Addressing Ageism in Healthcare,” is an engaging session designed to raise awareness and drive meaningful change in healthcare education and practice. This critical conversation will explore the widespread impact of age discrimination in medical settings, including its effects on healthcare outcomes, economic costs, and patient well-being. Expert panelists will discuss key topics such as the various forms of ageism in healthcare, its financial and societal consequences, and strategies for change through advocacy, education, and policy reform. Additionally, GSA has introduced its initiative to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum that promotes age-inclusive healthcare.

Support provided by AARP.

As the title suggests, this special publication compiles evidence-based recommendations for improving face-to-face communication with older patients. The recommendations were contributed by experts in the fields of gerontology and communications. Each recommendation is accompanied by a brief explanation of the rationale, tips for implementing the recommendation in busy healthcare settings, and selected references for further reading. The objective is to encourage behaviors that consider the unique abilities and challenges of older adult patients and produce positive, effective interactions among everyone involved. This publication is intended for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, biologists, psychologists, social workers, caregivers, economists, health policy experts—in fact, anyone who seeks to have the best possible interactions with older patients. We believe that this collection of recommendations will assist you in identifying and responding to opportunities to improve the health of older adults. Support provided by Kenvue.

Effective communication is the foundation upon which all positive patient care interactions are based. But changes in vision, hearing, and cognitive processing can present challenges to effective communication between health care providers and older adults. This three-minute video from The Gerontological Society of America details examples of major communication challenges and specific recommendations to overcome them. The recommendations are based on GSA’s highly popular publication "Communicating with Older Adults: An Evidence-based Review of What Really Works". The video is intended for any healthcare professional that interacts with older adults and was supported by Kenvue.

GSA is pleased to present Communicating with Older Adults: Recognizing Hidden Traps in Health Care Decision Making. This special publication—the second installment in the Communicating with Older Adults series—provides an introduction to common heuristics (mental shortcuts) and biases (predictable systematic errors in reasoning) that could affect health care decisions made by older adults, health care providers, and caregivers. Select heuristics and biases are illustrated in hypothetical cases involving the use of nonprescription analgesics and the need for recommended immunizations; each case includes communication tips for overcoming the heuristic or bias. The objective is to encourage more productive decision-making conversations with older adults. This publication is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, social workers, and other health care practitioners who seek to have the best possible interactions with older patients. Understanding the various heuristics and biases that affect our thinking can lead to more informed and productive decisions. Support provided by Kenvue.