Margaret Morganroth Gullette's 'American Eldercide' Exposes Preventable COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths
Margaret Morganroth Gullette's book 'American Eldercide' focuses on the preventable COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. She blames preexisting prejudices and underfunding, emphasizing the need for better infection control and a National Eldercide Memorial.
Gullette, in her book, argues that societal ageism, compounded by sexism, racism, and ableism, led to understaffing and minimal training in nursing homes. This, combined with inadequate personal protective equipment, testing, and contact tracing, resulted in high death tolls. She criticizes the lack of first-person survivor accounts and calls for a memorial.
Gullette praises the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and allied organizations for their effective role in combating COVID-19, including efforts impacting vulnerable nursing home residents. She suggests their coordinated global initiatives could serve as models for U.S. institutions. Nonprofit homes generally fared better than for-profits during the pandemic.
Gullette's 'American Eldercide' underscores the preventable nursing home deaths due to societal prejudices and underfunding. She argues for better infection control measures and a National Eldercide Memorial to honor the lost lives.
