Browsing by Subject "ageism"

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    Exploring the intersection of structural racism and ageism in healthcare
    (Wiley, 2022-12) Farrell, Timothy W.; Hung, William W.; Unroe, Kathleen T.; Brown, Teneille R.; Furman, Christian D.; Jih, Jane; Karani, Reena; Mulhausen, Paul; Nápoles, Anna María; Nnodim, Joseph O.; Upchurch, Gina; Whittaker, Chanel F.; Kim, Anna; Lundebjerg, Nancy E.; Rhodes, Ramona L.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) has consistently advocated for a healthcare system that meets the needs of older adults, including addressing impacts of ageism in healthcare. The intersection of structural racism and ageism compounds the disadvantage experienced by historically marginalized communities. Structural racism and ageism have long been ingrained in all aspects of US society, including healthcare. This intersection exacerbates disparities in social determinants of health, including poor access to healthcare and poor outcomes. These deeply rooted societal injustices have been brought to the forefront of the collective public consciousness at different points throughout history. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare and exacerbated existing inequities inflicted on historically marginalized communities. Ageist rhetoric and policies during the COVID-19 pandemic further marginalized older adults. Although the detrimental impact of structural racism on health has been well-documented in the literature, generative research on the intersection of structural racism and ageism is limited. The AGS is working to identify and dismantle the healthcare structures that create and perpetuate these combined injustices and, in so doing, create a more just US healthcare system. This paper is intended to provide an overview of important frameworks and guide future efforts to both identify and eliminate bias within healthcare delivery systems and health professions training with a particular focus on the intersection of structural racism and ageism.
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    Promoting the Well-Being of Older People in Ethiopia: Lost Opportunities Due to the Poverty of Policy
    (Oxford, 2024) Adamek, Margaret E.; Kotecho, Messay Gebremariam; Teshome, Abraham Zelalem; School of Social Work
    The world’s population is aging with the fastest growth in the older population projected to take place in Africa. In this article, we present the challenges of the growing older population in Ethiopia, outline some key changes that are needed to address those challenges, and consider the opportunities that can come about when older adults’ basic needs are met and they are supported in contributing to their communities. Older adults in Ethiopia are faced with multidimensional challenges that call for collaborative efforts from different stakeholders at local, regional, and national levels. However, some measures should be given the utmost priority: combating negative attitudes toward older people, strengthening geriatric/gerontology and social work education and research, and developing aging-specific policies and services. Although the challenges faced by older adults in Ethiopia seem like a problem of aging compounded by poverty, the root source of the problem is a poverty of policy fueled by ageism. If income support and appropriate health care was provided to older adults throughout Ethiopia, health and well-being in late life would improve, food and housing insecurity among older adults would lessen, and all Ethiopians could anticipate a dignified late life.