The Myth of Successful Aging: Violence and Discrimination Against Frail Older Adults

This research explores violence against the elderly as a human rights violation, emphasizing how the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified abuse and neglect. The hypothesis argues that pandemic healthcare policies reinforced age- and vulnerability-based hierarchies, contributing to the marginalization of elderly populations. Specifically, the study examines how triage criteria and healthcare decisions, driven by rationality, may have encouraged age-based discrimination. This phenomenon fits into a broader context of ageism (Butler, 1969) and a skewed perception of successful aging.

Post-pandemic reflections drive the study’s main objective: to identify the violence inflicted on elderly individuals who were unassisted, poorly assisted, or assisted too late during the health crisis. Adopting a constructionist approach to aging, the study analyzes secondary sources, such as triage criteria, healthcare guidelines, and public discourse, highlighting the division between “resilient” and “frail” elderly people. It also critiques the dominant narrative of successful aging, which values independence and resilience, overlooking those who don’t meet these ideals (Wong, 2000).

The findings reveal that some healthcare policies during the pandemic indirectly fostered violence against the elderly, favoring economic rationales prioritizing productivity and resilience. Echoing the WHO’s (2022) definition of “elder abuse”, the study emphasizes the public health implications of elderly neglect and abuse.

Finally, the study reflects on how, during emergencies, increased life expectancy is not celebrated as a scientific triumph but treated as a societal burden, leading to dehumanization and institutional violence. Elderly individuals, seen as "more expendable," face structural violence, fueled by the myth of successful aging that targets those who deviate from the stereotype of the active older adult.