Ageism in healthcare – the bright side –

Discovering the bright side of ageism in healthcare

* Johan Barstad, NorwayUna Molloy, IrelandAlina Danet, Spain

Jorge Mota, Portugal* Paula Alexandra Silva, Ireland

Keywords

• Person-focused, Personalised, Humane, Empowerment

Objectives

• Placing a positive tone on Ageism • Focusing on Salutogenesis as opposed to Patogenesis

(Salutogenesis - The term describes an approach focusing on factors that support human health and well-being, rather than on factors that cause disease.)

• Identify the activities (physical, mental, social, and emotional) that support and promote human health and well-being

• Investigate what is the actual impact of these activities (because we must make sure the activities we cover have a positive impact in overall health) and how they are represented so far in healthcare (because we believe these activities should be part of healthcare as all the other that focus on medication, care, etc.)

Result for the person will be

• Improved sense of purpose, empowerment, self-management, fulfilment, participation, self-esteem, mastery (I am the master of my resources)

Some directions, representative areas (very blurry)

• I am active! (and by doing this I am promoting my health) • I can educate you / share with you! (I by that feel healthy

and help on being healthy) legacy, share the experience of how it is to reach end of life

• I want to learn! (because I am not dead yet and I am more than my limitations)

• physical activity - dancing as a complete activity that promotes positive ageism

• educate - training, legacy, storytelling, ??• learn - senior universities, use of technology, ??

How

• systematic reviews on the three main areas or types of activities (still very blurry, as above)

• actual impact of these activities and how are they represented in healthcare so far

• by identifying and showing the positive aspects we hope to change the negative tone ageism has at the moment to one that places a positive tone on ageism