Guest editorial

Focussing on the role of foreign carers, their interactions with those they care for and their families, the resulting exchanges and the cultural opportunities and challenges that arise as a result is both interesting and useful. The broader aim of the conference was to “pay close attention to the linguistic, social, economic and ethical aspects regarding the ageing population, those who assist them, their families and the institutions/organisations that offer services for them”. The underexplored concept of visual ageism is discussed, as well as the evolution of the terminology and stereotypes used to talk about old age in readers’ letters to the editor as compared to newspaper articles published in English quality newspapers.