The willingness of elderly care program students to care for older adults and the associated factors: a multi-centered research

Prospective technicians for elderly care are indispensable elements that should be included in the relevant system to meet the ever-increasing care needs of the aging world population and increase the quality of care. This research was conducted to evaluate the attitudes of students in the elderly care program at the associate degree toward the older adults and their willingness to provide care. The sample of this descriptive and cross-sectional study comprised 525 volunteer students in elderly care programs in five vocational schools of higher education located in northeastern Turkey between June 2020 and September 2020. Mean, standard deviation, number, percentage, independent t-test, and correlation analysis were used to evaluate the data. The study showed that the mean age of the students involved in the study was 20.3 ± 1.6. 77.7% of them were female, and 61.9% were in the first grade. Students’ willingness to care for older adults was found to be at a moderate level (36.3 ± 6.0). The students had a negative attitude (137.4 ± 26.7) about aging and elderliness. The willingness of male students to care for older adults was significantly higher (p <.05). Those who did not live with an older adult in the same house before had a more negative attitude toward them (p <.05). To get rid of personal and social stereotypes and have a positive attitude toward older adults, students should be provided to work in clinical environments that will allow them to spend more time with them.