The importance of addressing ageism in Swedish healthcare

Abstract

Ageism is discrimination against individuals or groups based on their age. In the Swedish healthcare context, the term is uncommon, despite the fact that older people are a significant class of users. One of every five individuals in Sweden is 65 years of age or older, and the proportion of older people in the population is rising. Therefore, ageism in healthcare warrants more awareness and focus. In three recent articles that we have published relating to nutritional, depression and continence care for older people, we found indications of ageism even though we did not aim to study it. There is a need to identify the manifestations of ageism and label them, and to become alert to both the visible and invisible expressions of ageism. This will help in the development of interventions and policies to eliminate ageism in healthcare. With health inequalities growing and seemingly becoming the norm rather than the exception in Sweden and other European countries, it has become imperative to address and eliminate health inequalities through a range of initiatives and mechanisms. Fighting ageism in different settings must be a part of this larger goal.