Age and Ageing· 2020Q1
Ageism and COVID-19: what does our society’s response say about us?
- 391citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2020year
Short summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and amplified ageism, with older adults misrepresented, undervalued, and subjected to patronizing policies, despite instances of intergenerational solidarity.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed and exacerbated ageist attitudes globally.
- Older adults faced misrepresentation, undervaluation, and inadequate crisis preparation, particularly in long-term care.
- Some public health policies enacted during the pandemic were perceived as patronizing towards older individuals.
- The initial public perception often framed COVID-19 as primarily a problem affecting older adults.
- Instances of intergenerational solidarity emerged, aiming to support and include older adults.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The goal of this commentary is to highlight the ageism that has emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 20 international researchers in the field of ageing have contributed to this document. This commentary discusses how older people are misrepresented and undervalued in the current public discourse surrounding the pandemic. It points to issues in documenting the deaths of older adults, the lack of preparation for such a crisis in long-term care homes, how some 'protective' policies can be considered patronising and how the initial perception of the public was that the virus was really an older adult problem. This commentary also calls attention to important intergenerational solidarity that has occurred during this crisis to ensure support and social-inclusion of older adults, even at a distance. Our hope is that with this commentary we can contribute to the discourse on older adults during this pandemic and diminish the ageist attitudes that have circulated.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Age and Ageing, 2020 · DOI ↗
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Field: Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Neuropsychology and Physiological PsychologyPsychology