Not Only Virus Spread: The Diffusion of Ageism during the Outbreak of COVID-19

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we face an exacerbation of ageism as well as a flourish of intergenerational solidarity. The use of chronological age is an unjustified threshold for the creation of public policies to control the spreading of the virus; doing so reinforces intrapersonal and interpersonal negative age stereotypes and violates older persons’ human rights to autonomy, proper care treatment, work, and equality. By overlooking differences within age groups, measures formulated solely on the basis of age are unable to target beneficiaries’ needs. Concurrently, several initiatives are trying to overcome ageist practices by providing different types of assistance to older adults on the basis of need rather than chronological age. The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network EuroAgeism calls on policymakers to refrain from ageist practices and language, as they exacerbate our ability to meet the COVID-19 crisis and future emergencies.