Knowledge and attitudes of undergraduate occupational therapy students towards older adults with dementia

Abstract

Purpose – Due to the increasing incidence of dementia in Ireland, there is a need to prepare occupational therapy students for future careers in dementia-focused health care. The purpose of this study are to measure the knowledge and attitudes of Irish undergraduate occupational therapy students towards older people with dementia and examine related variables including year of study, personal and placement dementia experiences and future career choice. Design/methodology/approach – Data was gathered using a cross-sectional online survey, incorporating the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale and the Dementia Attitudes Scale, which was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings – Seventy-five responses were gathered and analysed, indicating more advanced occupational therapy students demonstrate higher levels of dementia knowledge, but dementia attitudes remain similar across different year groups. Students with clinical dementia experiences displayed comparable levels of dementia knowledge and attitudes to those without. However, students with familial dementia experiences displayed significantly more positive attitudes. The likelihood of selecting a future career with older adults with dementia significantly related to students’ positive dementia attitudes but not dementia knowledge. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first Irish study that focuses on undergraduate occupational therapy students’ dementia knowledge and attitudes. The results could be used to inform and develop Irish undergraduate occupational therapy programmes.

Keywords

• Occupational therapy education
• Older people with dementia
• Dementia knowledge
• Dementia attitudes