Discriminated by age, 40% of elderly people without the best care

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As many as 4 out of 10 elderly people are excluded from the best care due to their age. And stigma also shortens life: the risk of mortality is up to 4 times higher. This is why it was born Map of Florence, the first global manifesto against healthcare ageism with 12 actions against age-related prejudices and stereotypes in healthcare. After the appeal of Italian scientists for the crisis of underfunded public health service , Italian geriatricians are raising the alarm about the health needs, especially of the elderly, in which the NHS does not invest enough resources. They are considered “too old and expensive” to receive the most advanced treatments, from which they would benefit most, and to be included in clinical trials testing drugs that they are the first to use. And the same elderly person renounces adherence to therapies, screening and preventive behaviors, with serious effects on health.

Up to 40% of people over 85 with heart problems are under-treated

In Italy, data from national registers say that up to 40% of over 85s with heart problems are under-treated. With increasing age, pharmacological prescriptions and regular checks recommended by the guidelines are reduced, halving them in the over-85s, where there is substantial under-treatment in up to 40% of cases.

The Florence Charter is born

In this context, the Florence Charter was born, the first global manifesto against ageism in healthcare which will be presented at the “Anti-ageism Alliance” congress. A Global Geriatric Task Force for older adults’ care”, organized by the Menarini Foundation with the patronage of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics (Sigg), which brings together in Florence the presidents of the major geriatric societies in the world, with representatives of the WHO and of the United Nations, ethicists and patient associations. The document coordinated by Andrea Ungar, professor of Geriatrics at the University of Florence, president of the congress and of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics, and by professor Luigi Ferrucci, scientific director of the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, was developed by an international panel.

Here are 12 concrete actions to minimize the negative impact of ageism in healthcare

The manifesto just published in the European Geriatric Medicine and in The Journal of Gerontology focuses on 12 shares concrete to minimize the negative impact of ageism in healthcare. Actions to reverse the trend focus on training: aging must become an integral part of the training path of healthcare personnel and social workers. It is also necessary to give priority to the elderly in emergency rooms who represent a risk factor due to long waiting times and inadequate care is reported, which can contribute to cognitive decline and worsening of physical conditions. The doctor must also seek greater sharing of the treatment path with the patient and his caregivers and it is equally necessary to redesign hospital environments to make them more age-friendly, reducing isolation and immobility.