A Conversation about Ageism: Time to Deinstitutionalize Long-Term Care?

• DOI: 10.3138/utq.90.2.09
• Publication Date: 2021-06-25T13:01:36Z
• Authors: Rachel Herron; Christine Kelly; Katie Aubrecht
• Keywords: Ableism; Institutionalisation

Ageism is arguably one of the least challenged forms discrimination globally and manifests in many obvious subtle ways. Situating our conversation within context COVID-19, we discuss peculiar unchallenged ageism current times as well intersections with other such ableism, racism, sexism, heterosexism. We highlight limits understandings ageism, specifically those that seek to identify positive aspects without appreciating how these reinforce inequalities among older adults. With regards spatial manifestations explore failure critiques institutionalization include people. Only “mass death” during COVID-19 has public eye turned toward problems long-term residential care facilities spaces care, yet disabled, mad, D/deaf people allies have mass disabled for decades, highlighting physical social segregation constitutes an form ableism. Institutions are notorious their physical, spiritual, emotional harms, but when it comes people, especially living dementia, responses isolation generally been ambivalent. Even aging studies scholars call “transformation” do not elimination large-scale institutions (e.g., Theurer et al.). this softer critique from studies, raising questions about whether institutionalized segregated congregate inherently discriminatory, consider implications families, health administrators, researchers, working field care.