Ageism: a social determinant of health that has come of age

On March 18, 2021, the Global Report on Ageism was launched by the WHO, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the UN Population Fund. Combating ageism is one of the four action areas of the Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030). Changing how we think, feel, and act towards age and ageing is a prerequisite for successful action on healthy ageing and for progress on the three other action areas of the Decade of Healthy Ageing: developing communities that foster older people’s abilities, delivering person-centred integrated care and primary health services responsive to older people’s needs, and providing long-term care for older people who need it.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the vulnerability of older people has been highlighted. Not only has the pandemic taken the lives of many older people, it has also exposed ageism in different settings—for example discrimination in access to health care, inadequate protection of older people in care homes and of young people’s mental health, and stereotypical media portrayals that pit generations against each other.