Medical care and manifestations of ageism in healthcare institutions: opinion of elderly people. The example of four countries

Background
Population aging is a challenge for social policy and medical care. The problem of ageism – discrimination of a person by age – is closely connected with the phenomenon of the aging of society.

Objectives
The aim of this study was to investigate the views of 60+ respondents about medical care and the possible manifestations of ageism in healthcare institutions in four countries for developing recommendations for the formation of “good practices” for older people and a worthy attitude towards them.

Material and methods
An anonymous survey was conducted on 478 people (who gave informed consent to participate in the study) aged 60+: in Belarus – 139, Poland – 110, Russia – 123, Lithuania – 106. Opinions about medical care and manifestations of ageism were assessed using a questionnaire by Kropińska entitled “Studying the phenomenon of age discrimination in older people”.

Results
The opinion of the majority of respondents about medical care in their country of residence was found to be satisfactory. Manifestations of ageism in healthcare institutions, according to respondents, range from 20.9% to 43.0%.

Conclusions
In the analysed groups of respondents in four countries, the provision of medical care is assessed positively. The high level of manifestation of ageism in healthcare institutions is a problem, which indicates the need to optimise the risks of its occurrence and search for opportunities to reduce it.