Psychiatrists' Attitudes Toward the Aged and Aging

This study investigated the effects of an educational program in geriatrics on the attitudes of a group of third-year medical students. A survey designed to measure attitudes toward geriatric patient care, aging, and older people was administered to all students before and after their participation in a 25-hour geriatrics education component of a Family Practice Clerkship. Results showed the students' attitudes were significantly improved following the geriatrics training program. Prior training in geriatrics and their specialty preference were also found to have an impact on attitude. The implications of the study for medical education and research are discussed.

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confidence: 99%

Effects of Geriatric Education on the Attitudes of Medical Students

Warren¹,

Painter²,

Rudisill³

1983

“…During the last two decades, some health professionals have expressed negative attitudes toward the elderly (1–4); and it is widely recognized that training in geriatrics has been neglected. Caring for older patients requires special medical expertise.…”

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confidence: 99%

Attitudes Toward the Geriatric Patient Among Family Practice Residents†

Maxwell

Sullivan

1980

For the Family Practitioner, elderly patients are a highly significant group. In the past, some health professionals have expressed negative attitudes toward the elderly. Thus a need exists to study specific factors that may influence a Family Practice resident's willingness to treat older patients. A Likert-type questionnaire was developed that utilized the Thurstone-Likert discrimination technique. Five categories were chosen for study: general attitudes, cost effectiveness, time and energy, therapeutic potential, and educational preparation. Responses of 150 Family Practice residents were then analyzed. The attitudes of the residents were significantly positive in all categories except Educational Preparation. Noteworthy was the finding that the attitudes improved from the first year through the third year of residency. This is the first medical specialty group to demonstrate such a trend. Certain negative attitudes observed in the Educational Preparation category re-emphasize the need for training programs to improve professional geriatric instruction.

“…Additional research may provide further insight into both the institutional staff's and the community's expectations regarding the interactions of institutional residents. Several investigators have found that the general public as well as health professionals who interact with older people tend to have negative attitudes toward aging, attitudes reflecting stereotyped views of inactivity and senility (9, 10). The negative social attitudes may be reflected in the type of opportunities for interactions that are provided for institutional residents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Institutionalized Older Adults and Their Future Orientation

Hughes

1979

This study hypothesized: 1) that as the duration of institutional living increases, the future orientation of active older adults contracts; and 2) that this constriction in future temporal orientation means less opportunity for interaction in the institutional environment. To test the first hypothesis, 100 active female residents in six institutions for the aged were evaluated regarding future orientation, by means of Cottle's Experiential Inventory. The opportunity for interaction was measured by Pincus's Psychosocial Dimensions in the Institutional Environment. The findings indicated that, irrespective of age, the residents became less future-oriented or their orientation became less recent, as the length of institutional residence increased. The second hypothesis was not supported; in fact, the reverse was true.