Attitudes toward aging: implications for a caring profession

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nursing Education
• Sociology of Aging

Background:

• Canada's aging population necessitates increased focus on geriatric care.
• Ageism, the devaluation of older adults, impacts care quality.
• Student attitudes toward aging influence future nursing practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess nursing students' attitudes toward older adults throughout their baccalaureate program.
• To identify potential shifts in attitudes during nursing education.
• To understand the impact of ageism on geriatric nursing.

Main Methods:

• Comparative cross-sectional study design.
• Utilized the Attitudes Toward Old People (ATOP) scale.
• Measured attitudes at multiple points during a 4-year baccalaureate nursing program.

Main Results:

• No significant overall change in attitudes across the 4 years.
• A notable decrease in positive attitudes and increase in negative attitudes observed at the start of the second and fourth years.
• Suggests critical junctures in nursing education may negatively influence attitudes.

Conclusions:

• Nursing education may inadvertently foster negative attitudes toward older adults.
• Addressing ageism within nursing curricula is crucial for improving geriatric care.
• Further research is needed to explore interventions to promote positive attitudes.