This inaugural CIHR-funded Eliminating Ageism in Healthcare educational module was developed by the Ageism and Health Care Working Group of the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism (CCAA), with strategic oversight and accountability provided by the International Longevity Centre Canada (ILC Canada).

The module provides a practical, evidence-informed introduction to recognizing and addressing ageism and other intersecting forms of discrimination in health and support settings. Through concise teaching, reflective exercises, and short real-world video scenarios, participants are encouraged to examine how assumptions and biases can
influence communication, decision-making, and quality of care.

Designed for interprofessional audiences, the module is relevant across healthcare, community care, long-term care, social services, and support settings.

What Participants Will Gain Participants will:

• Increase awareness of ageism and its impacts
• Strengthen reflective practice skills
• Explore real-world care scenarios
• Learn practical strategies to support dignity, voice, and agency
• Identify opportunities for change in everyday interactions and systems of care

Core Message

Addressing ageism is not only about changing attitudes—it is about transforming the culture of care and support to ensure that all persons are treated with dignity, respect, inclusion, and fairness.

“What we permit, we promote.”

• Access the English version of the module here
• Access the French version of the module here
• Visit the Ageism Toolkit page to access our complementary Ageism Toolkit (currently available in English), a comprehensive, evidence-based collection of engaging activities, reflections, and discussions that can be used individually or in groups to deepen understanding of ageism.

Module Creation: The Ageism Awareness and Education Module was developed by the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism (CCAA), with strategic oversight and accountability provided by the International Longevity Centre Canada (ILC-C).

This work was made possible through generous support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – Institute of Aging and reflects the collaborative efforts of a national working group composed of passionate and committed leaders, researchers, educators, clinicians, services providers, and older persons from across Canada.

We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the CCAA Ageism Awareness Working Group, co-led by Dr. Kiran Rabheru and Dr. Laura Kadowaki, including:

Louise Bélanger-Hardy, Erica Botner, Olive Bryanton, Sarah Fraser, Ariane Geerts, Margaret Gillis, Betty Good, Matthew Le, Ju Eun Lee, Kimberly LeBlanc, Sheila McDonald, Barbara McMillan, Alixe Ménard, Sarah Orr-Shaw, Bénédicte Schoepflin, Zena Simces, Laryssa Vares, Claire Westmacott, Jenna Wickens, Tina Wu and Cheri Nixon.

French Translation Support: We sincerely thank Annie Bourret for her outstanding work translating the module into French, ensuring accessibility across Canada’s official languages. We also thank the National Association of Federal Retirees for their support for the translation and working group members Bénédicte Schoepflin, Ariane Geerts, and Louise Bélanger-Hardy.

Technical Production: We would like to thank Craig Conoley for his exceptional work on integrating visuals, voiceover, and multimedia production. We would like to thank United Way BC for the use of their Thinkific platform to host our module.

Reviewers Acknowledgment: We are deeply grateful to the following reviewers for their expert feedback and insights: Dr. Jane Barratt, Dr. Liat Ayalon, Dr. Marie Beaulieu, Marie Howell.