Pizzino: Canadian government must make curbing ageism a priority

Stereotypes and prejudice can have far-reaching, harmful consequences, says the National Association of Federal Retirees.

Since Nov. 20, Ontario hospitals have been legally permitted to charge patients awaiting an appropriate long-term care bed $400 a day if they refuse to take the one assigned to them. The law has been criticized as “fundamentally discriminatory” against the frail and elderly, and two interest groups are preparing a Charter challenge against the legislation.

This is just one way in which older people have been discriminated against in the COVID-19 pandemic, during which some restrictions didn’t fully consider the needs of older people and the impacts of isolation.

Punishing restrictions and Ontario’s pricy new hospital fees are both examples of ageism — a systemic form of oppression that is very often experienced by older people, including some of the 170,000 people the National Association of Federal Retirees represents. Ageism manifests itself in the way one thinks, in the form of stereotypes; in the way one feels, in the form of prejudice; and in the way one acts, in the form of discrimination. How one experiences ageism and how it is directed is influenced by gender, race and orientation. It comes at us from many sources — marketing, television, movies, media of all forms, government policies, health care delivery — and it can be implicit, explicit, institutional and personal.

Combatting ageism is a priority for my organization. This is why it joined the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism, which officially launches Nov. 30.

This coalition’s raison d’être is to encourage the Canadian government and the United Nations (UN) to support recommendations from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Report on Ageism, including the one that recommends adopting a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. We are already in the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing, so this is timely and relevant.

Another way to address ageism is through public policy, education, data and intergenerational conversations. Ageism’s existence and its effects are real and can have far-reaching consequences for those who experience it. According to the WHO, ageism is associated with a shorter lifespan, poorer physical and mental health, slower recovery from disability, reductions in quality of life, social isolation and increased risks of violence and abuse against older people.

Despite promises from federal Seniors Minister Kamal Khera to help communities become more age-friendly, the Liberal government has been largely silent and inactive on this issue. Federal retirees wants action.

We recommend starting with initiatives that combine education and awareness with intergenerational interaction as research shows they offer the most promise in changing ageist attitudes. We also agree with two WHO recommendations: First, to improve data and research to gain a better understanding of ageism and how to end it; and second, to build a movement to change the narrative around age and ageing.

A good start to the latter would be for Canada to commit to advancing work at the UN and getting the UN to adopt the aforementioned convention. Having effective and empowered independent seniors advocates at the provincial level and a federal seniors ombudsperson are two more concrete suggestions.

Older Canadians have had enough. We need to call out ageism when we see it, and we need concerted government actions to support those efforts. We need a fundamental change in perspective to eliminate stereotypes of older persons being a weak, dependent and non-contributory part of society.

Like many developed nations, Canada has an ageing population. In the 2021 census, more than 861,000 people were 85 and older. By 2046, that number could triple to almost 2.5 million. That means the number of people affected by ageism is also growing. There is no better time to address and put an end to it.

Anthony Pizzino is the CEO of the National Association of Federal Retirees.