Attitudes towards caring for older people: findings and recommendations for practice

Abstract

The use of the MAQ in 1999 and 2009 enabled a comparative analysis of two studies completed a decade apart. Comparison of the MAQ results from 1999 and 2009 show that attitudes towards the care of older people as a recognised specialism have remained largely unchanged, despite a decade of major policy changes to include gerontology in pre- and post-registration nurse training. This finding does not bode well for attracting nurses into a career in gerontology. As a consequence, with increasing numbers of older people living in Scotland, and worldwide, the care and wellbeing of this group may be compromised at a time when it is most needed. The lead author (AK) has used the MAQ for an international study with colleagues from Germany, Sweden, Japan, Slovenia and the US, the results of which will be available shortly.