4 in 10 older people are excluded from the best possible healthcare due to their age, worldwide. Carta of Florence, the first manifesto against age discrimination in healthcare, published

Florence, Italy (ots/PRNewswire) – The Fondazione Menarini, which is at the forefront of combating discrimination in healthcare for the elderly, contributed to the development of the Carta of Florence. The Carta of Florence, presented at the Anti-Ageism Alliance Congress held under the auspices of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics, the International Association of Gerontology & Geriatrics and the European Geriatric Medicine Society, is the first global manifesto against age discrimination in healthcare.

Published in the journal European Geriatric Medicine, the document, prepared by world-leading experts including WHO representatives and coordinated by Andrea Ungar, professor of geriatrics at the University of Florence, identifies 12 concrete measures to combat age-related bias in healthcare and to improve the quality of life and longevity of older people.

“Age discrimination is a global problem: one in two people in the world behave in moderately or strongly age-discriminatory ways towards older people, with really serious consequences. This affects physical and mental health and increases social isolation,” says Alana Officer, Head of Demographic Change at WHO and the Campaign for Healthy Aging. “WHO is leading a global campaign to combat ageism and build widespread coalition so that we can all work together to eliminate them.”

“Although many healthcare providers around the world are committed to ensuring that older people receive the most advanced treatments, 40% of older people are still excluded from best health practices and clinical trials for drug testing, which negatively impacts longevity,” emphasizes Ungar, Coordinator the charter.

“The measures proposed in the Florence Charter to reverse the trend focus primarily on the need to prioritize older people in emergency rooms, make hospitals more age-friendly and reduce isolation and bed confinement of patients,” says Luigi Ferrucci, coordinator of the Charter from Florence together with Andrea Ungar and scientific director of the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore.

“Fundamental,” adds Ungar, “is a change in the approach to the care of older people, which cannot be treated ‘piecemeal’ but must be pursued with a holistic view by the geriatrician as a doctor of complexity.”

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