Respecting older adults: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many social problems and put the already vulnerable, such as racial minorities, low-income communities, and older individuals, at an even greater risk than before. In this paper we focus on older adults' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and show that...
Main Authors: | , , |
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Format: | Journal article |
Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2022
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_version_ | 1797112685444202496 |
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author | Voinea, C Wangmo, T Vică, C |
author_facet | Voinea, C Wangmo, T Vică, C |
author_sort | Voinea, C |
collection | OXFORD |
description | The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many social problems and put the already vulnerable, such as racial minorities, low-income communities, and older individuals, at an even greater risk than before. In this paper we focus on older adults' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and show that the risk-mitigation measures presumed to protect them, alongside the generalization of an ageist public discourse, exacerbated the pre-existing marginalization of older adults, disproportionately affecting their well-being. This paper shows that states have duties to adopt and put into practice redress measures to compensate for the negative consequences of COVID-19 public health policies on older adults' overall well-being. These duties flow from the minimal ethical requirement of respect for persons. We show that respect is a morally basic attitude that presupposes taking the others' interests into account, with the aim of advancing their well-being. This duty is not limited to kinship, relatives, and friends but it extends to states and the rest of the civil society. In the conclusion, we draw lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and sketch some redress measures that could compensate for the decrease in older adults' well-being as a result of the adoption of measures to contain the spread of the virus. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:27:22Z |
format | Journal article |
id | oxford-uuid:3a7b824e-cd7e-482b-8e6b-5a8ba0cd4bba |
institution | University of Oxford |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:27:22Z |
publishDate | 2022 |
publisher | Springer Nature |
record_format | dspace |
spelling | oxford-uuid:3a7b824e-cd7e-482b-8e6b-5a8ba0cd4bba2024-02-26T16:14:14ZRespecting older adults: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemicJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:3a7b824e-cd7e-482b-8e6b-5a8ba0cd4bbaEnglishSymplectic ElementsSpringer Nature2022Voinea, CWangmo, TVică, CThe COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many social problems and put the already vulnerable, such as racial minorities, low-income communities, and older individuals, at an even greater risk than before. In this paper we focus on older adults' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and show that the risk-mitigation measures presumed to protect them, alongside the generalization of an ageist public discourse, exacerbated the pre-existing marginalization of older adults, disproportionately affecting their well-being. This paper shows that states have duties to adopt and put into practice redress measures to compensate for the negative consequences of COVID-19 public health policies on older adults' overall well-being. These duties flow from the minimal ethical requirement of respect for persons. We show that respect is a morally basic attitude that presupposes taking the others' interests into account, with the aim of advancing their well-being. This duty is not limited to kinship, relatives, and friends but it extends to states and the rest of the civil society. In the conclusion, we draw lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and sketch some redress measures that could compensate for the decrease in older adults' well-being as a result of the adoption of measures to contain the spread of the virus. |
spellingShingle | Voinea, C Wangmo, T Vică, C Respecting older adults: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic |
title | Respecting older adults: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_full | Respecting older adults: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_fullStr | Respecting older adults: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_full_unstemmed | Respecting older adults: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_short | Respecting older adults: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_sort | respecting older adults lessons from the covid 19 pandemic |
work_keys_str_mv | AT voineac respectingolderadultslessonsfromthecovid19pandemic AT wangmot respectingolderadultslessonsfromthecovid19pandemic AT vicac respectingolderadultslessonsfromthecovid19pandemic |