Primary Education Topic:
Healthcare & Aging
Other Education Topics:
Leadership in Aging
Legal & Ethical Issues
Policy and Advocacy
Ageism in the healthcare sphere is not just demeaning, but can be dangerous, as it is often the cause for both over- and under-treatment of older adults.
By Karin M. Ouchida and Mark S. Lachs
Dr. Robert N. Butler coined the term ageism in 1968 and spent his career trying to eradicate it. Unfortunately, despite his many accomplishments, “systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are old” still occurs today (Achenbaum, 2013).