Responding to Covid-19: an analysis of position statements of gerontological societies worldwide.

The Covid-19 pandemic, with its adverse implications for older adults, has generated unprecedented public interest in issues around age and ageing globally. We systematically investigated the responses of national gerontological and geriatric societies (NGGS) to emerging challenges during the first wave of the pandemic. Framed within traditional research topics in gerontology, the aim was to identify the spectrum of focal points and positions directed towards governments, policy makers, researchers and society. A comprehensive, two-phased data collection strategy generated N = 22 position statements of NGGS affiliated to the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics. Using Ayalon et al. (J Gerontol Ser B, 2020. 10.1093/geronb/gbaa066) thematic categorisation of gerontological research, we applied quantitative and qualitative content analysis to analyse "calls for action" within the statements. The content of NGGS' position statements show a high level of agreement on the salient topics during the first wave of the pandemic and reveal shared values such as equality, diversity and inclusion of older adults and the discipline of gerontology to be an applied one with relevance to policy and practice. The results can support future interdisciplinary research in gerontology post Covid-19 based on a vision to contribute to a society of all ages. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10433-022-00700-7.

Human rights and care homes for older people: a typology of approaches from academic literature as a starting point for activist scholarship in human rights and institutional care

Care homes for older people attract human rights discourse. This has intensified during the Covid-19 pandemic, which disproportionately affected care home communities with various human rights ramifications. Activist scholarship in human rights can contribute to the protection and realisation of the rights of people living, working in and visiting care homes through high-quality research. This article reports the findings of an analysis of pre-pandemic scholarship that explored the ways authors approached the topic of human rights of older people in care homes. The aim was to produce a typology of approaches to the topic as a basis for critical reflection and as a starting point for future activist scholarship in gerontology, social policy and law. Reflexive thematic analysis of 23 international English-language peer-reviewed articles published between 1998 and March 2019 was undertaken. Analysis was framed in the context of the health and social care setting of England. The article reports the pertinent and common assumptions that care homes are ‘inherently risky’ places for the protection of the human rights of ‘vulnerable’ care home residents. The article highlights five types of approaches: the anti-institutional, the legalistic, the care quality, the equality approach, and the issue-based approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Human Rights is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)