Ageism in Health Care

This work seeks to bring light to the issue of ageism in medical care services and how Catholic social thoughts can be incorporated to reduce ageism in the sector. Ageism in the medical care system is the discrimination of health care services on the grounds of ages. Through Catholic social teachings, the relieve on ageism in the health care sector can be attained. The teaching principles advocate for equality and general human dignity.

Running head: AGEISM IN HEALTH CARE 1
Ageism in Health Care
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This work seeks to bring light to the issue of ageism in medical care services and how
Catholic social thoughts can be incorporated to reduce ageism in the sector. Ageism in the
medical care system is the discrimination of health care services on the grounds of ages
(Onder, & Fialová, 2017). It is true that older adults are the major dependants of health care. It
is so unfortunate that cases of ageism include attitudes towards older adults among physician,
medical care professionals, and nurses. Through Catholic social teachings, the relieve on
ageism in the health care sector can be attained. The teaching principles advocate for equality
and general human dignity.
Older adults are subjected to various negative stereotypes. The effect of these
negative stereotypes has real mental and physical health consequences. The magnitude of this
problem of prejudice is evident in hospitals and other medical care facilities. Firstly, Negative
perception of older people can bring increased stigma among the clientele that negatively
affects the ability of any healthcare sector to provide treatment to their loyal clientele. Loss of
major clients can also have a negative reputation for other potential clientele. These negative
views are either done knowingly or unconsciously and can cause damage to the clientele.
Some of the impacts of ageism result in over or under medication (Duan et al.,2017). Under-
treating older is a result of assuming that their health disorder is as a result of aging. Medical
practitioner force convinces the older clientele that what they are feeling is as a result of
aging. This assumption causes clientele from receiving proper treatment as they should.
Medical providers can also provide older patients with ill-advised medication without putting
into consideration their preferences, abilities, and functionality. High dosage, for example,
can result in hypoglycemia. Overtreatment of older persons is a waste of public funds, and it
is detrimental to the health of the clientele and should be avoided. It is only through

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incorporating Catholic social thoughts (CST) on human dignity. Interventions can we attain
sustainable management of ageism in the health sector.
In japan, for instance, there are no laws that address age discrimination. This renders
discriminatory treatment based on the age of an employee null and void because there is no
provision for action. With rampant ageism in japan, this makes it extremely hard to thrive in
the economy of japan after the age of forty-five years(Ishii,& Tado'oka, Y.2015). This is because
the aged are seen as a burden. Lack of federal law precisely dedicated to preventing ageism in
the health sector live perpetrators at liberty to execute their plans at will. As professionals of
high knowledge of Catholic social thoughts, if a patient is victim ageism, first determine
whether the person is cognitive enough to make decisions. The patient should also be willing
to speak out without the fear of being abused again (Du Mont, Kosa, Macdonald, Elliot &
Yaffe, 2015). It is important to note that the Catholic tradition teaches about rights and
responsibilities. Human dignity is only protected if human rights are also protected, and
obligations adhered to. All people have a fundamental right to life and the right to access the
things that promote human decency. It is hence essential that the wellbeing of the patient is
well secured and assured even if it means admitting the patient in the hospital. The Catholic
social thoughts specify that our sense wellbeing is not just about our completeness but also
the wellbeing and sense of belonging of others at our places.
Solidarity can become one of the best ways curbing ageism. In Nigeria, for instance,
youth represents the greatest percentage of the population. With time, this percentage will
turn into the aging bulge of tomorrow. With this awareness, Nigeria has engaged younger
people by hosting a running race with both the younger and older participants. This
togetherness creates awareness and stimulates interests among all the age groups on aging
issues (Sabel, & Cohen, 2017). About (CST), solidarity defines that we are one family
whatever our differences. Loving everyone despite age has a great influence on the global

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dimension in a world full of discrimination and immorality. Solidarity also advocates for the
seeking of peace and justice in all our deeds.
Human beings are social and sacred beings how we conduct our society in all our
daily activities, either in politics or in policy influences the capacity of individuals to develop
in a community. Family and marriage are central social institutions that should be prioritized
during strengthening to curb ageism. Interventions of ageism at the community level need
professional collaboration. The collaboration of professionals should be of diverse
disciplines. The (CST) has stressed that access to social justice, basic medical service is a
fundamental human right. The importance of diverse collaboration is that the needs of the
community needs are complex. The areas that are addressed at the community level are the
legal needs of individuals, social aspects of the people, and access to the medical care of the
older people. In regards to intervention, an interdisciplinary team of geriatric can provide
medical care which should be functional and comprehensive. In addition to a geriatric
interdisciplinary team, other resources available to help manage ageism are agencies on
aging. According to the teaching on life and dignity of the human beings, the (CST) affirm
that human life is sacred and that the preservation of human dignity is the beginning of the
moral uprightness of the society. The measures to be taken by different stakeholders should
be indiscriminative and should seek to protect the life of every person. Catholic teaching
believes that life is precious, and every institution should not threaten the life and dignity of
any being. Global interventions can never work if the community level initiatives aren't at
the place. Some of the global interventions that can manage elder abuse are the use of
helplines that should work globally (Pillemer, Burnes, Riffin, & Lachs, 2016). The helplines
should also be reinforced with a multidisciplinary team in all countries. The team should
provide a quick responsive in case any urgent response is needed.

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Preventing ageism can be difficult. It is hence clear that victims of the ageism do not
readily report or even acknowledge that they are discriminated. However, there are measures
that can be put in place to make sure that ageism in health care is minimized. One of the key
ways can be incorporating academic programs that can guide health service workers and
professionals. Incorporating programs related to ageism into the nursing profession, and
offering opportunities for health professionals to further their studies can bring down the
level of ageism in health systems. These programs should include standardized practice and
principles that can help in screening for abuse and identifying risk factors of ageism (Hamby,
Smith, Mitchell, & Turner, 2016). The principles to be incorporated in the education program
should be consistent with the Catholic social thought. Also, ageism should be declared as
global social injustice.

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References
Dong, X. Q. (2015). Elder abuse: systematic review and implications for practice. Journal of
the American Geriatrics Society, 63(6), 1214-1238.
Du Mont, J., Kosa, D., Macdonald, S., Elliot, S., & Yaffe, M. (2015). Determining possible
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Hamby, S., Smith, A., Mitchell, K., & Turner, H. (2016). Poly-victimization and resilience
portfolios: Trends in violence research that can enhance the understanding and
prevention of elder abuse. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 28(4-5), 217-234.
Onder, G., & Fialová, D., (2017). Ageism in the health care system. Innovation in Aging, 1(suppl_1),
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Pillemer, K., Burnes, D., Riffin, C., & Lachs, M. S. (2016). Elder abuse: global situation, risk factors,
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Duan, W., Zheng, A., Mu, X., Li, M., Liu, C., Huang, W., & Wang, X. (2017). How great is the medical
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Ishii, K., & Tado'oka, Y. (2015). The influence of pathogen threat on ageism in Japan: the role of living
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Sabel, C. F., & Cohen, J. (2017). Sovereignty and Solidarity: EU and US. In Public governance in the
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