Ageism could influence the relationship between older patients’ meeting needs and healthcare professionals’ answers.

To highlight the experience of older adults with healthcare systems, how they perceive ageism from their healthcare providers, and to explore the relationship between perceived ageism and self-perception of aging (SPA).

We conducted an exploratory qualitative study. The participants were 14 women over 65 who lived alone in their homes.

Professional responses ignored the expression of preferences of the older patients and excluded them from decision-making processes. These answers influenced older patients’ use of health services. Moreover, the negative aspects predominated in a SPA influenced by the internalization of stereotypes and a relationship weighed down by ageist behaviors on the part of health professionals.

Explicit situations of ageism influence an imbalance in power relations between older patients and healthcare professionals, a misuse of health services, and a negative SPA.