Educator's role in preventing ageism

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Medical Education
• Social Gerontology

Background:

• Ageism presents a significant challenge in contemporary society, necessitating proactive strategies for prevention and mitigation.
• Healthcare professionals require specific education to address ageism effectively.
• Slovenia faces the challenge of ageism within its healthcare education system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the role of educators in teaching healthcare students about ageism in Slovenia.
• To assess educators' practical experience, gerontological knowledge, and attitudes towards working with older adults.
• To understand educators' perspectives on ageism, its causes, and potential interventions within healthcare training.

Main Methods:

• An online questionnaire was administered to educators in Slovenian nursing schools and health science faculties.
• The survey assessed educators' experience, knowledge, attitudes, and opinions on ageism and training.
• Statistical analyses included Cronbach's alpha for reliability, and Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, and independent samples t-tests for group comparisons.

Main Results:

• Educators strongly agreed that imparting knowledge can reduce age discrimination among healthcare students.
• Educators with better gerontological knowledge showed higher agreement on the reasons for ageism.
• Participants generally agreed on the importance of planning teaching activities and facilitating knowledge acquisition to combat ageism.

Conclusions:

• Combating ageism requires a multifaceted approach including awareness, education, and policy reform for intergenerational equity.
• Educators may underestimate their pivotal role in preventing ageism, though practitioners recognize its impact during direct student interaction.
• Curricula and pedagogical methods in healthcare education present opportunities for updates to address ageism more effectively.