ABSTRACT
ANTECEDENTES Y OBJETIVO: La pandemia de la COVID-19 afecta de manera diferencial a distintos grupos etarios, concentrándose la mayor parte de fallecimiento entre las personas más mayores y con afecciones de salud previas. Esto ha implicado una mayor presencia de los mayores en la agenda informativa de todos los medios de comunicación. Este artículo pretende analizar esos discursos y representaciones relacionados con los mayores tal y como se presentan en los titulares de publicaciones difundidas en 2diarios de alcance nacional (ABC y El País) durante la fase más crítica de la pandemia en España. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Se analizaron 501 titulares relacionados con los mayores y la pandemia COVID-19 (380 del ABC y 121 de El País) desde la perspectiva de los Estudios Críticos del Discurso (van Dijk, 2003) y llevándose a cabo un análisis de contenido. RESULTADOS: El 71,4% de los titulares representaban de manera desfavorable a los mayores, presentándolos como un grupo homogéneo y asociándolos a fallecimientos, deficiencias en la atención residencial o vulnerabilidad extrema. La presencia de ciertos términos potencialmente peyorativos o impropios (ancianos, abuelos) estaba en coherencia con esa representación negativa. CONCLUSIONES: A la luz de esos resultados, se discute en qué medida la pandemia de la COVID-19 puede reforzar una narrativa edadista de los mayores, basada en la fragilidad, el declive y la dependencia, que pueda justificar prácticas discriminatorias dirigidas a este sector de la población
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic affects various age groups differently, with most deaths concentrated among the older population and those with previous health conditions. This has led to a greater presence of older people in the agenda setting of all the media. This article aims to analyse these discourses and representations related to older people as presented in the headlines of publications disseminated in 2national newspapers (ABC and El País) during the most critical phase of the pandemic in Spain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An analysis was made of 501 headlines related to older people and the COVID-19 pandemic (380 from ABC, and 121 from El País) from the perspective of the Critical Discourse Studies (Van Dijk, 2003), as well as carrying out a content analysis. RESULTS: 71.4% of the headlines represented the Older adults were represented unfavourably in 71.4% of the headlines, with them being presented as a homogeneous group and associating them with deaths, deficiencies in residential care, or extreme vulnerability. The presence of certain potentially derogatory or improper terms (elderly, grandparents) was consistent with this negative representation. CONCLUSIONS: In light of these results, it is discussed to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic may reinforce an ageist narrative of the older people, based on frailty, decline, and dependency, which may justify discriminatory practices directed at this sector of the population
Subject(s)
Humans , Aged , Ageism/statistics & numerical data , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Aged/statistics & numerical data , Newspapers as Topic/statistics & numerical data , Pandemics , Spain/epidemiology , Communications Media/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic affects various age groups differently, with most deaths concentrated among the older population and those with previous health conditions. This has led to a greater presence of older people in the agenda setting of all the media. This article aims to analyse these discourses and representations related to older people as presented in the headlines of publications disseminated in 2national newspapers (ABC and El País) during the most critical phase of the pandemic in Spain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An analysis was made of 501 headlines related to older people and the COVID-19 pandemic (380 from ABC, and 121 from El País) from the perspective of the Critical Discourse Studies (Van Dijk, 2003), as well as carrying out a content analysis. RESULTS: 71.4% of the headlines represented the Older adults were represented unfavourably in 71.4% of the headlines, with them being presented as a homogeneous group and associating them with deaths, deficiencies in residential care, or extreme vulnerability. The presence of certain potentially derogatory or improper terms (elderly, grandparents) was consistent with this negative representation. CONCLUSIONS: In light of these results, it is discussed to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic may reinforce an ageist narrative of the older people, based on frailty, decline, and dependency, which may justify discriminatory practices directed at this sector of the population.
Subject(s)
Ageism , Coronavirus Infections , Newspapers as Topic , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral , Aged , COVID-19 , Humans , SpainABSTRACT
In this paper, we argue that the capacity for narrative agency is significantly compromised in individuals with dementia due to at least three factors: (a) Dementia itself, which causes increasing difficulties in constructing and articulating coherent and meaningful stories, and sharing them with others; (b) cultural narratives about dementia, which promote an extremely negative and pessimistic view of those with the disease; and (c) the convergence of these two last factors, which can lead to caregiving interactions that do not support storytelling and can even stop people with dementia from telling stories. We highlight the importance of narrative care, which involves interventions that focus on the person and their unique life narrative. In narrative care, people with dementia are treated not as impaired patients defined by the disease, but as human beings. In doing so, people with dementia can have their own voices back, which is silenced and discredited so many times.
