Ageism in health care is more common than you might think, and it can harm people (7 March 2024)

Summary

In this article, Ashley Milne-Tyte looks at how older people are treated by healthcare professionals and the impact that negative views can have on their care and treatment. She highlights examples of older people being marginalised by healthcare professionals, who sometimes shout at their patients or speak to family members rather than addressing their older patient directly. Emphasising the harm that this can cause, she cites research that shows that medical bias towards older people can accelerate cognitive decline, increase anxiety and depression and shorten lifespans by up to seven-and-a-half years.