By 2040, more than one in four Europeans is expected to be over 65. Despite improvements in older patients' care, oral healthcare is still neglected. One of the major obstacles could be the negative representations associated with aging: ageism. The present study aims to quantify and qualify ageism for general and specific representations of aging…

Social work programs are grappling with changing students' attitudes about working with older adults. Our study aimed to understand whether adding a guest speaker working in the field into weekly content would influence students' attitudes about working with older adults. We conducted an exploratory study using a cross-sectional design with a pre…

The study aimed to investigate the attitudes and empathy levels of social work students toward the elderly according to some variables and to reveal the relationship between attitudes and empathy. The research population consisted of 899 students. 480 students were included in the sample. The Personal Information Form, the Kogan's Attitude toward…

Drawing is an effective method to understand attitudes and beliefs on aging, but the subject matter without an explanation can be misinterpreted. We explored college students' drawings and written descriptions of the life course (N = 567). Participants drew, on average, five life phases. Most drawings included human figures, and most were alone in…

Given the increased demand for health professionals to work with older adults, research on the factors that influence students' career choices is critical in order to increase the popularity of gerontology. The purpose of this study was to investigate willingness and related factors of undergraduate nursing students to work with older adults. A…

This study examined university students' perceptions of older adults. The study employed the photovoice, analyzing visual data (photographs) and in-depth interviews conducted with five university students to capture more accurate and candid images of older adults. Themes from photographs, interviews, and focus group discussions were organized into…

There is an increasing need of gerontological education in social work to enhance the knowledge of aging and interests in senior care among students. This study is conducted based on an experiential-learning strategy with a combination of having an ethnographic interview with an older adult and writing a reflection paper afterward as an assignment…

We present a critically focused, semester-long community engagement project entitled "Intergenerational Connections" as a form of critical interpersonal and family communication pedagogy (CIFCP). The project utilized Zoom to connect small groups of undergraduate students in the US enrolled in a course on relational communication with…

Public awareness of health-related topics is increasing, and an increase in average life expectancy has increased the senior citizen population in Taiwan. Furthermore, because of the high cost of raising young children, people's willingness to give birth has decreased. Taiwan's aging population and declining birth rate are key challenges for its…

Ageism might reduce the effectiveness and quality of care in older adults essential with the aging population. Although interventions to counter ageism were carried out among students, no clear integration of their results described the mechanisms underlying their impact. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of which…

Population aging presents opportunities and challenges for higher education. Increasingly, age-diverse student populations are entering into or returning to postsecondary education; meanwhile, campuses are workplaces where faculty and staff are aging-in-place. Yet, age bias and discrimination continue to exist in institutions of higher education.…

The Age-Friendly University (AFU) principles outline a set of visions that higher education institutions should support to become inclusive to learners of all ages, especially older learners. A growing number of higher education institutions across the globe are currently engaged in various work of AFU development. One of the areas of study in…

Intergenerational (IG) practices foster understanding among diverse age groups, enhancing active ageing and social cohesion. Universities, as key stakeholders in lifelong learning, are pivotal in IG initiatives. Hence, this study investigates IG practices, rooted in project-based learning and co-management, in an international collaboration of…

Metaphors are part of everyday language as they help us to communicate effectively and allow us to reveal meaning to concepts. Older adults have been described using metaphors like 'Tsunami' in western countries. However, it is unknow which metaphors are used to describe older adults in Turkey. The aim of this study was to reveal the perceptions…

Curricula have historically overlooked non-heteronormative education for elderly populations. The purpose of this study was to assess attitude changes toward same-sex relationships among Taiwanese older adults before and after taking a curriculum focused on the lived experiences of same-sex partners. Seventy-six older adults from Hualien County,…