Perceptions of Healthcare Services Students on Older Peoples and Ageing

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the perception of older people and ageing among students of a Vocational School of Healthcare Services. Materials and Methods:This descriptive research was conducted on students receiving education in a vocational school of health services during the 2018-2019 academic year. Data were collected using the attitudes toward aging and elderliness scale. Moreover, an additional form was prepared to evaluate the personal information about the students. Results:The study was conducted on 669 students. The mean total attitudes toward aging and elderliness scale score was 2.86±0.6. When all the subscale scores of the attitudes toward aging and elderliness scale were examined, the lowest score was in the perception of the difficulty accepting old age (2.78±0.79), whereas the highest score was in the perception of the difficulty coping with life (3.19±0.73). Gender, presence of a person aged ≥65 years in the family and having lived with an older person in the same house at a certain period in life did not have an effect on the perception of old age and ageing. Conclusion:The results of this study showed that students of the Vocational School of Healthcare Services had an average level of perception regarding ageing and old age. Considering the rapidly ageing population worldwide, it is important to help and guide healthcare technicians develop positive perceptions about older people. AbstractCite this article as: