Creative Ageing Without Limits

Age Without Limits Day takes place on 10 June 2026.

Age Without Limits Day is an annual event that seeks to shift views on ageing, and in particular to challenge ageism. This year, the focus is on the power of questions as a tool for change.

At Luminate, we work creatively with older people in different contexts. We know the positive impact that creativity can have, whether we’re awarding a bursary to support the development of an older professional artist or leading a workshop with older people in a community centre. We also know the negative impact that ageism has on this growing section of the population.

As a society we welcome the fact that we are living longer, yet there is a widely-held view that being older means we are less capable than we used to be. Older people experience discrimination and stereotyping as a result of these negative assumptions. Only 13% of respondents to Age Scotland’s Big Survey of 2023 felt that older people were valued for their contribution to society, and 66% of respondents to Luminate’s stakeholder survey in 2025 said they don’t feel that older people’s voices are currently heard across the cultural and creative life of Scotland.

Ageism affects people of all ages, and the World Health Organisation’s Global Report on Ageism (2021) highlights the ageist narratives that often go unchallenged. The picture is worrying: stereotyping of different generations is associated with poorer health and increased loneliness among older people, and with many of the challenges facing younger people such as unemployment. The intersection with other forms of prejudice and discrimination heightens the challenge.

Ageist comments affect our views about ourselves and other people. Expressions like ‘senior moment’ or telling people they ‘look good for their age’ reinforce negative views of what it is to be older. We learn ageist views when we’re young, and by asking questions about our views I believe we can change things.

I started studying for a masters at the age of 60, and I’ll graduate this November. And the truth is that I don’t think it would have crossed my mind to consider this course if I didn’t work at Luminate and hadn’t seen the amazing new things that people achieve in their later decades. It’s been an energising and exhausting couple of years and I’ve loved it, but it’s made me realise how much we put limits on ourselves as we age. And those ageist phrases that we all use regularly are part of the challenge.

So, on this Age Without Limits Day, let’s start to rethink our assumptions. Let’s ask questions about the language we use about ageing. Let’s recognise that older people are a diverse group with wide ranging skills, interests and views, and let’s challenge the limitations that ageism puts on our society and on the cultural sector.

Luminate will hold a gathering in 2027 that will aim to widen the discussion on the implications of ageing for the arts sector in Scotland. If you would like more information when it’s available, please sign up for our e-newsletter.