Ageism in the health care system exists. We all know that. So the real question becomes why does it exist, and what can we do we do about it?
The ‘why’ of the problem might be superficially labeled: ‘we live in a youth oriented culture.’ That’s true, but how does this cliché play out on the personal and policy level?
Think back to when you were a kid. My own memories go to the sixties; I am a baby boomer. Our slogan: “Never Trust Anyone Over 30!” We obviously didn’t believe that we would ever be over 30. And this I believe is at the core of ageism. No one ever really believes they will someday be old. Call it denial, lack of imagination or both, the frequent refrain starting in middle age is “How did I get to be this old?” Therefore the ability to truly put ourselves in the older person’s place is limited.
Ageism, a deep and often unconscious prejudice against the old, is different from the other isms we fight. With sexism and racism those who will benefit from changes in societal attitudes and public policy are the same people who are fighting for the change. With ageism, the elderly are either too old to fight for themselves or their voices often are drowned out by pc approved ageist stereotypes and jokes. The ones who will benefit from fighting ageism are those who are young now, but since they don’t believe they will ever be old they don’t fight for change.
Most sources agree that ageism in the health care system starts in the medical schools where young people who will never be old begin their educations. Only 10% of medical schools in the United States require courses in geriatrics and less than three percent of physicians ever take any courses in this area. Leaving a whole population of people out of the training, especially a group that is a primary user of health care services, sends the message: these people don’t count.
This lack of training in geriatrics leads physicians to frequently misdiagnose the elderly. They focus on physical ailments and rarely assess mental health. They mistakenly believe that a condition like depression is simply part of the aging process instead of a diagnosable and treatable mental disorder. Therefore, depression frequently goes untreated. Seventy percent of senior citizens who commit suicide have visited their physician within a month of the act, thirty-nine percent within a week.
