058 Chapter 5 Impact of the age awareness workshop This included recognising their own age biases and internalised ageism, which sometimes occurred automatically. I do it without even thinking … [I would] think ‘He’s amazing for his age’. It’s subliminal, like we’re not even aware of it. A lot of these things are coming from the unconscious and we don’t even realise the impact they’re having. —Participant, mixed age group My attitudes towards myself changed [after the workshop]. Having conversations with other people who were quite comfortable about being older, whereas I have a challenge with that with myself … I sort of went home and thought, yeah, I do have a lot to offer and I can still do things. My knees might ache and my back might be sore sometimes, but don’t focus on that part. Focus on all the positives and on what I can do and what I can achieve and all the stuff I’ve still got to offer. It was quite insightful for my own personal journey. —Participant, mixed age group For some participants working in aged care, the workshop helped them to recognise the age-based assumptions they were making about clients and encouraged them to focus on the person instead. [The workshop] challenged some of the assumptions and how we think about the people that we are working with … I was making assumptions based on the person’s age rather than considering who they are and what they might be capable of. —Participant, age 61+ Instead of seeing that this person is a burden in life, I [now] look back to the longevity of this person. They have lived a long life, they add value to this society. It is not them [who] is the burden. —Participant, age 61+