Abstract:

The fact that negative perceptions of elderly and aging occur in those providing care services causes problems in meeting the elderly's need for care. Defining the perceptions of those who provide care services to the elderly is important for organizing new educational strategies that encourage positive perceptions for the elderly and increasing the quality of care offered to the elderly.The aim of the research; To describe the perceptions of individuals who are trained to take part in elderly care employment towards aging and elderly individuals, to identify the social reasons of elderly care-related behaviors by considering the findings of the research and similar studies in the literature, and to define their semantic content. Qualitative research method was used in the research.The research consists of 26 individuals who have completed the "Self-care support staff course". In the research, participants' perceptions of their own aging were evaluated within the framework of the themes of "feeling old, afraid of aging, being uncomfortable with changes in their appearance". At the same time, the participants' general perceptions of old age were discussed within the scope of the themes of “the meaning of the word old age, old age, clothing style of the elderly, social life of the elderly, productivity of the elderly, need for care and respect for the elderly”. It was determined that the majority of the participants were not afraid of old age, those who were of relatively advanced age were disturbed by the changes in their external appearance with the advancement of age, and they gave negative meanings to the word “old age” and “old age” by including concepts such as retirement, indulgence, neediness, loneliness.

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