This year for the 16 Days of Activism, the Silver Threads and Golden Needles project will be running a craft workshop for older women to explore the topic of gendered ageism, and how we can prevent it.  

The Silver Threads and Golden Needles project began in 2023 when the founder, Lee Archer, identified that there was a disconnect between discussions about elder abuse, gender and ageism. While we know elder abuse remains significant, we rarely link the existence of elder abuse, to ageism – how we think and speak about older people, in particular older women. 

“We are able to speak about elders in ways we cannot speak about anyone else – degrading language is still commonly accepted and laughed about.” 

Lee became alert to the casual everyday ageism in society, from the little jokes, phrases like ‘over the hill’, or ‘old bat’, or the way younger people treat their elders through the process of learning new technology. This language and behaviour is often also gendered. 

But as Lee states: “Everyone gets old.” These attitudes not only contribute to a society where elder abuse can be ignored or accepted, but also tells older people that as they age, they are worth less than before. 

The Silver Threads and Golden Needles project was started by Lee to support older women to challenge agesist narrative in their own lives. The original iteration of the project, delivered in collaboration with Merri Health, Wyndham council, and Celebrate Ageing, brought older women together to discuss the ageism they have experienced, and allow them to draw the links between these behaviours and elder abuse. 

A group of older women were brought together for a series of workshops where they undertook the project of making a cushion, while discussing these topics. Each woman’s cushion highlighted the reclamation of an ageist phrase – ‘Over the Hill’ became ‘On the road’, ‘Battle Axe’ became ‘Warrior’. 

According to Lee, it took some time for the group to open up on this subject, but once they did, “it was like an on/off switch in the room.” The group was able to begin discussing their own experiences, and with Lee’s facilitation, drawing the link between ageism and elder abuse, particularly the abuse of older women. 

After the first few sessions, Lee says the participants became ambassadors for the project, and were able to carry these conversations into their wider communities. The program culminated in an event showcasing each participant’s finished cushion, where speakers including Dr Catherine Barrett of Celebrate Ageing prompted the audience to consider how gendered ageism presented in their own lives. 

This year for the 16 Days of Activism, the Silver Threads and Golden Needles project will run a condensed version of this program for a group of older women to explore the links between ageism, gender and elder abuse. Participants will attend one three-hour workshop, where they will decorate a cushion of their own while engaging in facilitated discussions about these topics. 

If you would like to know more about the Silver Threads and Golden Needles project, you can visit their website.