HEALTH SCIENCE STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS AND AWARENESS OF ELDER ABUSE AND NEGLECT

Abstract

Introduction: Healthcare professionals have a key role in detecting and reporting elderly abuse and neglect, which is becoming more widespread due to the increase in the elderly population. However, there are very few studies evaluating the perception and understanding of students studying in health science branches about elderly abuse and neglect. Materials and Method: This descriptive cross-sectional research was conducted with 385 students who were studying in the departments of nutrition and dietetics, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and nursing. The questionnaire form, which was prepared by the researchers based on the relevant literature, has been used with the aim of collecting data for this study. Results: Although the majority of the students (92.7%) have indicated that they were aware of the concept of elderly abuse and neglect, it was observed that the students couldn't define the concept of elderly abuse either comprehensively or clearly. It was determined in our study that the type of abuse mostly known by these students was physical abuse, and thus their knowledge about abuse was insufficient. It was observed that the number of students who receive education about this concept was higher in the nursing department when compared to the other departments (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study indicates that the students who are studying in health sciences do not receive adequate education for gaining awareness about the concept of elderly abuse and neglect.