ABSTRACT
We use insights from the ecological model of human development, a context-focused theory from developmental psychology, as a way of understanding ageism in health care. Developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner, the ecological model posits a number of nested systems, including microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems, macrosystems, and chronosystems, that shape individual development. We begin by addressing the role of the individual, including self-stereotyping and stereotype threat. We then put a number of aspects of ageism in health care in the context of Bronfenbrenner’s model, including: elderspeak, triadic interactions, aggregated quality-adjusted life years, fair innings, palliative care, and the medicalization of aging. While we might want health care to be “un-ageist,” ageism permeates it on various levels.
