CARE at the UW-Madison School of Nursing
“The more we address ageism in our society, the more we’re all going to live longer, healthier lives,” says Julie Ober Allen, PhD, MPH, an Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Health Equity in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Kinesiology. Allen studies how sources of chronic stress, including ageism and other forms of discrimination, …
University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing Assistant Professor Kristen Pecanac, PhD, RN studies interactions among healthcare practitioners, patients, and family members as they make treatment decisions in hospital settings. She says the peer review process has provided her with clear examples of ageism. “I did a study where I looked at conversations between physicians and …
Compared to a decade ago, there’s greater awareness, more reporting, and stronger laws in place to address the financial exploitation of older adults. The issue was not even recognized for many years, says Kevin Hansen, PhD, JD, LLM. “The first people we protected were animals, actually,” says Hansen. “We had animal abuse statutes before we …
In many ways, ageism is similar to other forms of discrimination. Images, language and widely-held expectations communicate and reinforce negative stereotypes about a large, diverse group of people. “How many times have you heard your parents say, ‘Oh gosh, I’m having a senior moment,’” Betsy Abramson asks students at an event organized by the University …