ABSTRACT
The increased use of health care services by older adults has prompted an interest in preparing health care workers to better deal with the special needs of older adults. Aging education is one method of sensitizing health care personnel to these special needs, but the effectiveness of such educational programs needs to be established. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the knowledge and attitudes of hospital personnel of their participation in an experiential learning educational program concerning older adults. Each of nine groups of hospital employees attended a 2-hour workshop. Each group completed a pretest and posttest using Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz. A significant increase in scores was found in all groups after the workshop experience, and some groups had a greater increase in scores than others.
Subject(s)
Aging , Attitude of Health Personnel , Education, Nursing, Continuing/organization & administration , Geriatric Nursing/education , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Nursing Staff, Hospital/education , Nursing Staff, Hospital/psychology , Problem-Based Learning/organization & administration , Staff Development/organization & administration , Aged , Humans , Pilot Projects , Prejudice , Program EvaluationABSTRACT
Results from a follow-up questionnaire completed by 28 women who had unsuccessfully completed one or more trials of in vitro fertilization (IVF) are reported. The mean time lapse since completing IVF was 8.4 months. During that period, 33% of the respondents had applied for adoption and 11% had secured an adoptive child. More than half the respondents had abandoned biological attempts to conceive and 52% felt as though they had "resolved" the infertility crisis. Nevertheless, 93% of the respondents indicated that they would participate in any new reproductive options that would enhance the likelihood of a biological pregnancy! The results and implications of this study are discussed.
