Healthcare professionals caring for diverse older adults in a positive, supportive environment.

Fighting Ageism: How Healthcare Professionals Can Make a Difference

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Mira Elwood in Health & Wellness October 2026 • 4 min read.

"Discover the surprising impact of ageism in healthcare and what professionals can do to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for older adults."


The world is aging. By 2050, the population of adults aged 60 and over will nearly double, jumping from 12% to 22%. This demographic shift presents both opportunities and challenges, especially within healthcare. As the number of older adults increases, so does the need for healthcare professionals equipped to provide them with quality care.

Unfortunately, negative attitudes and stereotypes—collectively known as ageism—can create significant barriers to providing older adults with the support they need. Ageism, defined as discrimination against individuals based on their age, affects how healthcare professionals interact with older patients, impacting everything from assessment and treatment to overall well-being. In fact, a study of 628 healthcare professionals in Turkey revealed that while attitudes were generally positive, difficulties in providing care and educational status significantly affected perceptions of older adults.

This article dives into the subtle ways ageism manifests in healthcare, offering actionable insights for healthcare professionals striving to cultivate a more inclusive and supportive environment. By understanding the roots of ageism and adopting practical strategies, you can help ensure that older adults receive the respect, dignity, and high-quality care they deserve.

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Insufficient Statistical Evidence

The listed sources do not provide statistics about ageism, older adults, or healthcare outcomes. Their snippets identify Outlook pages and mailbox-related domains, including welearn365.com, cridf.iledefrance.fr, pod51007.outlook.com, and dbxprd0210.outlook.com. Consequently, these sources cannot substantiate a claim about the current impact of ageism in healthcare.

Limited Methodological Evidence

The Crossref record reports a descriptive study conducted in seven hospitals in five cities in Turkey with 628 participating health care professionals. The other listed sources describe TXT files and methods for removing the .txt extension in Windows 11, rather than approaches to addressing ageism in healthcare. These materials do not establish accepted methods or limitations for combating ageism.

What is Ageism and How Does It Show Up in Healthcare?

Healthcare professionals caring for diverse older adults in a positive, supportive environment.

Ageism isn't always overt. It often lurks beneath the surface in subtle behaviors, assumptions, and systemic practices. It’s fueled by stereotypes and myths that paint older adults as unproductive, cognitively impaired, or generally less valuable to society. These biases can seep into healthcare settings, influencing how professionals interact with and care for older patients.

Consider these common manifestations of ageism in healthcare:

  • Communication Barriers: Healthcare professionals may default to speaking with family members instead of directly engaging older patients in conversations about their care preferences. This can disempower patients and lead to misunderstandings.
  • Geriatric Syndromes: Difficulty in assessing and managing geriatric syndromes, such as sleep disorders, pressure ulcers, and incontinence, is also observed. Incontinence being the one with the most negative attitudes.
  • Dismissing Concerns: Attributing legitimate health complaints to “just old age” can result in overlooking treatable conditions.
  • Limited Treatment Options: Older adults may be excluded from certain treatments or procedures based solely on their age, regardless of their overall health status or potential benefits.
  • Negative Language: Using language synonymous with aging, but with negative connotations, words such as becoming ugly, weak or senile, all affect patients negatively.
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Research Evidence Remains Inconclusive

One listed study is titled "A Survey of Nurses’ Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Hospitalized Older Adults" and says its results support findings from several previous studies. Another study, "Nurses’ perspectives on old age and caring for adults aged 80 years and older: a cross-sectional study in long-term care," reports that available results are inconclusive and that research remains scarce, particularly in long-term care. A third source identifies empathic tendency as related to the level of help individuals provide, while the remaining source is unrelated to healthcare research.

Sources Do Not Address Ageism

The listed Mayo Clinic sources concern patient-portal access and pancreatitis rather than ageism in healthcare. Mayo Clinic defines pancreatitis as inflammation of the pancreas and explains that it can cause swelling, pain, and changes in pancreatic function. These sources do not present counterarguments to anti-ageism efforts or evidence of failures in addressing age discrimination.

These actions, whether intentional or not, can diminish the quality of care, reduce patient autonomy, and contribute to poorer health outcomes. Recognizing these subtle forms of ageism is the first step toward creating a more equitable healthcare system.

Taking Action Against Ageism

Combating ageism requires a multi-faceted approach involving individual awareness, educational initiatives, and systemic changes. By committing to these strategies, healthcare professionals can transform their practices and contribute to a more age-inclusive healthcare system where every patient receives the respect and care they deserve. As the population ages, combating ageism becomes not just an ethical imperative but a necessity for ensuring a healthier and more equitable future for all.

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No Ageism Synthesis Supported

The listed sources describe QR-code generators from QRCode Creator, QR Code Generator, Canva, and QRCode Monkey. They mention features such as custom designs, logos, colors, permanent static links, editable dynamic links, and high-quality or vector output. These materials do not provide expert commentary or evidence for synthesizing recommendations about ageism in healthcare.

How the Turkey hospital study was conducted

Populationhealth care professionals working with older adults[1]
Sample size628[1]
Settingseven hospitals in five cities in Turkey[1]
Main outcomeattitudes of ageism, measured using the Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA)[1]
Effect sizeMean total FSA score was 56.9 (SD = 8.0); education (β = -.18) and difficulty with care (β = -.10) were significant predictors[1]
p-valueeducation: p < .001; difficulty with the care of older adults: p < .05[1]
Times cited19[1]

A later survey of nurses says its results support the majority of previous research and cites the Turkey study among that earlier work; this is contextual support, not a direct comparison of scores.[2]

A later long-term-care paper reports that findings in this area remain inconclusive and research is sparse, particularly for long-term care. It also cites the Turkey work when discussing how difficulties in geriatric care may relate to ageist tendencies.[3]

Other cited work links contact experiences with frail or dependent older adults, and empathic tendency with the level of help people provide. These are related perspectives, not measurements reported by the Turkey hospital study.[3] [4]

What the evidence leaves unanswered

  • Would the associations between education, care difficulty, and ageism scores appear in settings beyond the hospitals studied in Turkey?[1]
  • How well do ageism scales used in healthcare measure the attitudes they intend to capture, given a review’s concerns about their measurement properties?[5]
  • Do changes in reported attitudes correspond to observable care behaviors and patient-reported experiences?[6] [7]
  • Could close contact with people who are ill, dependent, or dying shape professionals’ attitudes, and how might positive models of aging influence those responses?[7] [8]

Sources

  1. Correlates of Ageism Among Health Care Professionals Working With Older Adults (SAGE Publications, 2018)
  2. A Survey of Nurses’ Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Hospitalized Older Adults (2021)
  3. Nurses’ perspectives on old age and caring for adults aged 80 years and older: a cross-sectional study in long-term care (2024)
  4. ASSOCIATION OF NURSES' EMPATHIC TENDENCY AND ATTITUDES TO AGEISM TOWARD OLDER ADULTS (2021)
  5. Scales used to assess ageism in the health care sector: a (COSMIN) systematic review of the measurement properties (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  6. COMBATING AGEISM: EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF AN AGE-POSITIVE TRAINING IN HEALTHCARE (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  7. Effectiveness of an educational intervention in modifying ageism among nurses in caring for older adults: a randomized controlled trial (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  8. Ageism Healthcare: Implications for the Psychological Well-Being of Atlantic Canadian Healthcare Professionals (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

About this Article -

Written with AI assistance from published research, and reviewed by the Mystum team. See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1177/1043659618810128, Alternate LINK

Title: Correlates Of Ageism Among Health Care Professionals Working With Older Adults

Subject: General Nursing

Journal: Journal of Transcultural Nursing

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Authors: Ziyafet Uğurlu, Sultan Kav, Azize Karahan, Ebru Akgün Çıtak

Published: 2018-11-02

Everything You Need To Know

1

What is Ageism and How Does it Impact Healthcare?

Ageism is discrimination against individuals based on their age. In healthcare, it manifests in various subtle ways, such as communication barriers where healthcare professionals may speak to family instead of the patient directly. It can also involve dismissing health concerns as 'just old age,' limiting treatment options based on age alone, and using negative language. The implications of ageism include diminished quality of care, reduced patient autonomy, and poorer health outcomes for older adults.

2

What are the different ways ageism shows up in healthcare?

The manifestations of ageism are present in various aspects of healthcare. One of the forms is Communication Barriers, where healthcare professionals may default to speaking with family members instead of directly engaging older patients. Another is related to Geriatric Syndromes, such as sleep disorders, pressure ulcers, and incontinence. Also, Attributing legitimate health complaints to 'just old age' can result in overlooking treatable conditions. Furthermore, Older adults may be excluded from certain treatments or procedures based solely on their age. Finally, Negative Language, using words synonymous with aging, but with negative connotations.

3

Why is ageism significant in the context of healthcare?

Ageism is significant because the world's population of adults aged 60 and over is nearly doubling. This demographic shift means more older adults will require healthcare. If healthcare professionals are affected by ageism, it creates barriers to providing quality care. These barriers can lead to reduced patient autonomy and poorer health outcomes. Addressing ageism is therefore crucial for ensuring that older adults receive the respect, dignity, and high-quality care they deserve, particularly as the older population grows.

4

What actions can healthcare professionals take to combat ageism?

Several actions can be taken against Ageism, it requires a multi-faceted approach involving individual awareness, educational initiatives, and systemic changes. Healthcare professionals can transform their practices and contribute to a more age-inclusive healthcare system where every patient receives the respect and care they deserve. This includes recognizing and addressing subtle forms of ageism like communication barriers, dismissing concerns, and limiting treatment options. It also involves understanding the root of ageism and adopting practical strategies to combat negative attitudes.

5

What are the negative implications of ageism on older adults?

Some of the negative implications of ageism on older adults are the diminished quality of care, reduced patient autonomy, and poorer health outcomes. When healthcare professionals exhibit ageist behaviors, older patients may not receive the respect, dignity, and high-quality care they need. This can lead to misunderstandings in care, overlooking treatable conditions, exclusion from beneficial treatments, and a general decrease in overall well-being. Overcoming ageism is critical for creating a healthcare system that values and supports all patients, regardless of age.

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