“It’s just your age, you gotta expect that” : older adults’ experiences of ageism in healthcare : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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2024
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Massey University
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Ageism towards older adults in healthcare has historically been researched and understood quantitatively with specific focus on objectivity and the particular from the perspective of healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experience of ageism in this context from the accounts of older adults themselves. With Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as the framework for this study, three older adults were interviewed to deepen this understanding across different angles. Five themes emerged from participants’ accounts. The Foundational Components of Ageism centred around participants’ confidence of age as the cause of their treatment. Their confidence was influenced by their assessment of why and how often ageism occurred alongside recognition that differential treatment began in their older years. Complexity of Self-Advocacy highlighted why participants advocated for themselves and the approaches they took. This did not always have the intended outcome and support on behalf of another individual was often needed to stop discrimination. Removal From Situations described how the emotions participants experienced by not having their voices heard motivated them to step away from the situation. The Impact of Ageism delved into the varied and sometimes opposite ways participants were affected. Lastly, Non-Ageist Experiences detailed the positive encounters in healthcare. For participants, this signified what they wanted or expected to see throughout the system. This thesis is one of a small number of studies that focuses on the older adult perspective and has contributed to the study of ageism in healthcare research. By using IPA, the findings demonstrate how experiences of discrimination can share similarities while uncovering different ways to conceptualise ageism towards older adults.