Edita Šatienė
On 21 May the Lithuanian partner Seniors Initiatives Centre held a National Multiplier Event and presented the results of the SAA project at Kaunas City Social Services Centre.
The event attracted over 30 social care and home care professionals and the administrative staff of the Centre. The event was a good opportunity to raise awareness of ageism in the social environment, health care, built environment and employment relations, to discuss the meaning of the term “ageism”, which is still new in the Lithuanian discourse, and the importance of recognising and preventing ageist attitudes in different settings.
After introducing the Compendium, the Toolkit for Trainers, and the Recommendations for Policymakers, SAA game cases from the social relations domain, health, and built environment sectors were demonstrated on the screen and discussed. Some activities from the Trainer Toolkit were used to facilitate discussions and better understand internalised and structural ageism. The participants found the game a valuable, interesting and easy-to-use tool that brings deep insights into their practice.
The multiplier event generated a lot of thoughts and discussions. The most important takeaway was the commitment of the social workers to monitor and reduce the manifestations of ageism in their professional work and personal lives.