Ageism is an insidious prejudice.

It can be something as simple as a remark such as “You don’t look that old,” or the subtle discrimination of a qualified candidate not getting hired for a job because he or she is over 60.

Ina Albert of Whitefish, a seminar leader with certification through Sage-ing International, hopes to shed more light on the topic of ageism at a conference planned Feb. 9-11 at the Bohemian Grange Hall near Whitefish.

“Ageism is a prejudice hiding in plain sight,” Albert said. “It’s inside you and me and affects every facet of society. It‘s a disease that we are all exposed to — a thought virus from which none of us is immune. But by unmasking it, we can create the vaccine together.”

Albert has been leading seminars about growing older since 1999. Her “Unmasking the Face of Ageism” experiential seminar is the first of its kind that she knows of, and has caught the attention of Sage-ing International. She’s been asked to present her material at the organization’s national conference in October.

Ageism is both implicit and explicit, Albert pointed out.

“It’s what we absorb in our thinking and responses about ourselves,” she explained, and can be as simple as wondering “Am I too old?” when making decisions about what styles of clothes to purchase.

Explicitly, it is pervasive throughout society, she said, such as surreptitious hiring restrictions that don’t offer a level playing field for older people, or if a grown child accompanies a parent to a doctor’s appointment and the doctor engages only with the younger person, as if the older person isn’t even in the room.

“It compromises self-esteem,” she added.

“Based on the fear of growing old and our obsession with looking young, ageism tries to convince us to trade our ability to age naturally for a dream of maintaining youthful vigor, energy and physical appearance forever,” she said. “Ageism is the last socially sanctioned prejudice, and society’s anti-aging marketing campaign is its public platform.”

She believes that prejudice needs to be confronted.

“Society reinforces our need to maintain the charade of staying young. But what does it do to us?” Albert asked. “How does trying to be something and someone we are not affect our self-esteem, relationships, health, memory, and ability to enjoy our bonus years creatively?

“We are not ageless, but we are living an average of 30 years longer and stronger than previous generations,” she said. “These bonus years give us the opportunity to create a meaningful legacy, pursue forgotten dreams and establish relationships with younger relatives and friends. There’s more time to spend with grandchildren and to enrich ourselves, our families, and our communities.”

The seminar will explore and discuss how people can develop a new vision of growing older that strengthens individual and collective voices and expands creativity.

Albert said the seminar will be very experiential and interactive. It will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, at the Bohemian Hall, 125 Blanchard Lake Road, behind Montana Coffee Traders on U.S. 93 S.

The fee for the full weekend seminar is $125 per person, or $110 if payment is received by Feb. 3. Checks are payable to Ina Albert, and mailed to 955 Northwoods Drive, Whitefish, MT 59937. For questions, call 406 249-4642 or email Inaalbert@aol.com.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.