Elderly discrimination, willingness to provide care to the elderly and view on aging of students in some departments in the field of health

Abstract

Background: Increase in the older people population brings the need for care services to develop into the forefront. Purpose: In this study, it was aimed to determine the attitudes of young people studying final year in fields related to health sciences about ageism and their willingness to care for older people individuals and to define the relationship between them and the effective factors. Methods: The study was conducted in a mix style in May 2022. The study was completed with 342 students. Data were collected using the Qualitative Questionnaire, the Willingness to Care for Older People Scale, and the Ageism Attitude Scale. Results: Of the students 73.7% did not want to give older people care. The total Willingness to Give Older people Care Scale score was 35.08 +/- 6.39 and the total Ageism Attitude Scale score was 82.53 +/- 10.07. The willingness to care for the elderly is significantly higher among students living in villages/towns. According to the total score of elderly discrimination, women, those who have never met with the elderly, and those who want to work with the elderly have more positive attitudes. A weak significant correlation was determined between the Willingness to Give Older people Care Scale and Ageism Attitude Scale in a negative direction. In the qualitative dimension, the themes of "fear of being dependent", "inadequacy", "with family" and "showing no respect" were respectively obtained. Conclusion: The students had a moderate level of ageism and willingness to give care. Students are afraid of aging, perceive old age negatively and think that they are not respected by society.