Elder Rights Movement

Abstract

One of the basic tenants of human rights is the freedom to form movements and associations to advance the realization and protection of human rights, and in recent years there has been a call for a true elder rights movement in the spirit of previous social movements that have sought to implement changes in society’s structure or values. In the past, social movements have been launched for workers’ rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, environmental justice, disability rights, racial justice and reproductive justice. The first social movements oriented toward older persons developed during the Depression in the 1930s when many older people joined in efforts to implement pension programs and other elders’ benefits, and by the 1970s the Gray Panthers were formed by Maggie Kuhn to take on mandatory retirement and other ageist laws and stereotypes, work to preserve and expand Social Security and Medicare and advocate for fair treatment of people in nursing homes, single-payer health care, LGBT rights and inter-generational housing. Today, AARP has grown to become the largest and most visible organization working on issues relating to the rights and lives of older persons, and other organizations and groups advocating for seniors include the National Council on Aging, the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, Legal Advocates for Seniors and People with Disabilities, Justice in Aging, National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, American Society on Aging, National Center on Elder Abuse and the Pension Rights Center. However, while older adults have been the beneficiaries of significant advocacy on their behalf leading to treasured programs such as Medicare and Social Security, advocacy groups have often been dominated by professionals who are involved in providing health care and services to older adults in exchange for compensation. Advocates such as Kohn and Levy have argued that older adults need more than what is being offered and that it is time for an elder rights movement that complements traditional advocacy strategies by focusing on negative rights and liberties, older adults’ rights vis-à-vis service providers, and age discrimination and combatting negative stereotypes of aging.

Keywords: human rights, elder rights, social movements