Transformation of Research into Policies for the Aged Population: the “failed” Case of the Uk’s Guidance for the Care Sector During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The unfolding of the Covid-19 pandemic proved to be a critical moment for healthcare systems worldwide. Decisions about scarce resources were rapidly justified based on, allegedly, neutral, and objective research-informed guidelines. Within this scenario, older adults and the care sector were disregarded and deemed expendable. In this chapter, we draw from Political Discourse Theory to argue that research informing policy for older adults, while often deemed neutral, has a social and political drive. By operationalizing this approach in doing aging research, we analyse two policies specific to the UK context in 2020 and unpack the effects of ageist discourses and norms in shaping public health policy guidance at the start of the pandemic. Ultimately, we highlight how the problem of care for older adults has been constructed as one of limitations and scarcity of resources, enabled through a logic of expendable risk. We conclude that if we strive for research on older adults to be translated into dignity driven policies, we need to centre the matter of care.