The Adverse Effects of Ageism 

By Danni Meredith, Sector Support Coordinator 

Various reports from general healthcare, the aged care sector along with older health consumers and COTA’s recent State of the Older Nation 2025 report highlight the fact that sadly the issue of ageism persists. For those not familiar with the term “ageism”, it relates to the bias or discrimination of someone because of their age. Ageism can impact any one and at any time, but older people experience it the most. 

The adverse effects of ageism

It has been well documented that when an older person experiences ageism, they can feel: 

• diminished, invisible or treated like a number rather than a person
• disrespected, excluded, and undervalued 
• like a burden to their family and society. 

The implications of ageism from a health-related perspective include the older person experiencing: 

• poorer health outcomes as they may not feel like it is worth seeking help and they do not want to cause any inconvenience
• delayed recovery post-surgery or post discharge from hospital
• reduced quality of life. 

So, what does ageism look like?  

Ageism stems from a lack of understanding, awareness and the thought that getting older means there is something wrong with an older person that needs to be fixed, just like when you cure an illness. Rather than viewing ageing as a beautiful whole of life journey that is denied to many others. 

Ageism takes different forms and can be blatantly obvious or subtle. During conversations, calling an older person “sweetie” or “dear” rather than using their preferred name or saying. “You look good for your age” are highly ageist and patronising.  

In the home care environment, it can take the form of an older person sitting in a lounge chair with the support worker speaking across the older person to an informal carer rather than directing the conversation to the older person. It may occur during a case conference or a visit to the GP when an older person is excluded from discussions regarding their own health care or when conversations are directed to family members rather than the older person. 

I know of a case whereby a 94-year-old gentleman who was living independently at home, was admitted to hospital for surgery. When asked by the nursing staff in a very loud voice if he had any previous surgery, he replied with “No I have not and you don’t need to shout at me, I’m not deaf.” Then when asked about any current medications he was taking, he replied with, “I don’t take any medication other than the odd Panadol.” The nursing staff did not believe him and so approached a nearby family member to confirm the information provided. Proudly, the family member confirmed the accuracy of the conversation and quietly reminded the staff member of how unique this older person was. 

For those of you who work in an office, listen to the conversations staff members are having with your clients, do they adopt an excessively sweet tone of voice when addressing clients or answering the phone? Why do they need to do this when they are acting in a professional capacity and providing a professional service? Would they still do this if the person were younger?  

What can we do to better support older people from the impacts of ageism?  

Ensure staff understand the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissions’ Statement of Rights and how to embed this into their daily practice. Deliver training or a short toolbox style conversation on ageism and discuss examples of person-centred care and how the organisation can empower the older person.  

Quietly observe staff members addressing clients who present to your workplace or run in house audits to screen staff members who manage incoming calls with clients to ensure they use active listening skills, seek clarification, always use inclusive and respectful language. 

Establish a Consumer Advisory Body within your organisation to provide your older clients with the opportunity to contribute to the codesign of your service and / or model of care, to provide feedback which you can use to continuously improve or broaden your service. Leverage off their years of collective experience and the wisdom gained from their own professional lives to enrich the service you provide.  

Explore with us the impacts of ageism within the in-home care environment at our Wednesday 11th March interactive workshop, facilitated by Anna Millicer. Registrations here.  

Further reading – click on the resources listed below. 

Tackle ageism with a national action plan: COTA Australia – COTA Australia 

Breaking the links between ageism and health: An integrated perspective – ScienceDirect