AGE Platform Europe: IMI SPRINTT project – Claiming that “the real challenge is to fight ageing” is a blatant form of ageism
AGE Platform Europe is appalled by the wording used in a recent press release issued by the IMI SPRINTT project, which presents itself as “the First European Collaborative Research to Fight Ageing” and notably claims that “Treating the diseases of old age is not enough: the real challenge is to fight ageing itself”. As the EU-level network representing more than 40 million older persons in the EU and advocating for more than 10 years to overcome ageist stereotypes, AGE Platform Europe is worried by the use of such blatant ageist communication in a large EU-funded project.
What’s wrong with ageing? Everyone knows that ageing starts at birth and is the natural process of life. Ageing per se is neither a problem nor a disease that needs new drug treatment. After all, “old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative!” So why fight “ageing”? The stereotypical communication used in the press release by the SPRINTT project is misleading and conveys an ageist message where ageing is stigmatised and portrayed negatively.
