DESCRIPTION

In April 2024 at the GWEP-CC Virtual Meeting, Timothy Farrell, MD, AGSF, and Ramona Rhodes, MD, MPH, MSCS, AGSF, discussed the AGS Intersection of Structural Racism and Ageism (ISR&A) Initiative and AGS’s continued action to achieve equity in health care for older adults and their caregivers.

The AGS future vision is that we all live in a just society, one where we are supported by and able to contribute to communities where ageism, ableism, classism, homophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other forms of bias and discrimination no longer impact health care access, quality, and outcomes for older adults and their caregivers. AGS is committed to taking purposeful steps towards achieving our vision for the future and we have incorporated a priority that cuts across all of our programs, products, and advocacy into our strategies for achieving our vision.

Our initial area of focus is on the intersection of structural racism and ageism, as detailed in a recently published Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) paper, Future forward: AGS initiative addressing intersection of structural racism and ageism in health care. This paper provides a useful framework for understanding this crossroad and engaging members, stakeholders, and others in this effort.