Finally, ageism affects the physical and psychological health of older adults, as older adults themselves “buy into” ageist stereotypes. Studies by psychologist Becca Levy have shown that positive self-perceptions of aging predict better functional health over time. Older individuals with more positive self perceptions of aging, measured up to 23 years earlier, lived 7.5 years longer than those with less positive self-perceptions (Levy, 2002). Among her other findings, negative selfperceptions of age are associated with blood chemistry (Levy, 2002) and impaired memory performance (Levy, 1996). We believe that culturally sensitive interventions must facilitate these person constructs and in general maximize accessibility of interventions and services, given the cultural values and beliefs of the client in the population in question.