- Published
- 25 April 2020
- Journal article
Defining a ‘Risk Group’ and Ageism in the Era of COVID-19
- Authors
- Source
- Journal of Loss and Trauma: International Perspectives on Stress and Coping
Abstract
By classifying older adults, based on chronological age, as a higher risk group of coronavirus disease, 2019 is unacceptable and unfair- potentially reinforcing ageism. This ageist approach can accelerate the risk of social isolation, and heightened levels of psychosocial distress. Moreover, a general calculation of the number that is generated merely from the case fatality rate surely will mislead the indicators of the epidemic’s trajectory, and lead to another infodemic. Therefore, transparency in news dissemination, the underlying health conditions and cultural differences of older adults are essential aspects while defining a risk group.
Rights
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
Cite as
Rahman, A. & Jahan, Y. 2020, 'Defining a ‘Risk Group’ and Ageism in the Era of COVID-19', Journal of Loss and Trauma: International Perspectives on Stress and Coping, 25(8), pp. 631-634. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2020.1757993