Determination of Attitudes of Vocational School of Health Services Elderly Care Department Students towards Elderly

Abstract

INTRODUCTION[|]With the rise of the elderly population and their health needs, the interest of medicine and health professionals in elderly health has increased. In connection with this, the term elderly discrimination has been a topic of discussion in recent years. This study is designed to measure Vocational School of Health Services Elderly Care Department Students' attitudues towards individuals 65 years of age and older. [¤]METHODS[|]The study sample is composed of 122 registered students who agreed to participate in the study at A University, B University and C University Vocational School of Health Services Elderly Care Departments. The data collection form is composed of 12 questions measuring social demographic characteristics of participants and UCLA Geriatric Attitude Scale. Numbers, percentages and standard deviation are used while evaluating data[¤]RESULTS[|]Majority of the participants, 76.2% were male, while 57.4% were 2nd year students. Aging was defined as an individual's physical and mental decline by 38.46%. Elderly descrimination was defined as not prioritising, ostracising, and being biased against elderly by 22.68%. The three most selected statements in order in the UCLA Geriatric Attitude Scale were; 'It is interesting listening to old people's accounts of their past experiences.', 'It is society's responsibility to provide care for the elderly.' and 'Most old people are pleasant to be with.' [¤]DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION[|]Most study participants have indicated that their education on geriatrics has been adequate. In addition, study participants' score are moderate; therefore, their attitude towards elderly discrimination is moderate. [¤]

Keywords

• elderly discrimination
• ucla geriatric attitude scale
• health services