Abstract
As populations age internationally, the numbers of potentially vulnerable older people are growing. Many older people are especially vulnerable in various service and care environments, including acute medical settings and residential aged care facilities. Such systems have a long history of failures in the treatment and care of older pepople, amongst other vulnerable groups, which various inquiries have formally documented (e.g. the UK Gosport Inquiry). Patient safety research has also documented the huge variability in care that older people can experience in ‘contested’ healthcare environments which can and do represent ageing as a resource problem for health providers. These past systemic behaviours are likely to be compounded as population ageing progresses unless significant changes occur in health and social care systems. In this paper we discuss the role of vulnerability theory in relation to how older people may experience unequal outcomes and mistreatment in such systems. This is particularly evident in how people with dementias are represented and often treated in society at large. We do this through the lens of ‘necropolitics’ (Mbembe, 2003) as a way of unpacking these inconsistencies and inequalities with a view to analysing how future practices can be reshaped and the rights of older people as patients and care recipients be met more effectively. The consequences of continuing failure in this space can only grow in scale and severity if such changes do not occur.
Presenters
Hamish RobertsonSenior Lecturer, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Ageing, Necropolitics, Vulnerability, Dementia
