Undergraduate healthcare students' personal experiences with older people: a qualitative description study

Background: Understanding students' experiences with regard to older adults is important for educators in developing specific educational strategies to encourage future healthcare professionals to consider the geriatric field as a career choice. Objectives: The study explored Italian university healthcare students' experiences with older people and their perceptions of them at the beginning of their course. Design: A qualitative descriptive design. Settings: A Faculty of Medicine in Italy. Participants: A sample of 15 students enrolled in healthcare courses was included. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted. The data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Results: Six categories were identified. The young Italian students' first experiences with older adults were with their grandparents, representing their first models of aging. Grandparents were sources of emotional support. Older adults were seen as custodians of collective memory and as a guide for younger generations. The intergenerational relationship was characterized by respect and reciprocity. Young adults recognize the frailty and vulnerability of older adults and view intergenerational solidarity as a way to protect them. They imagined their own old age as characterized by strong family relationships and by active aging, due to their personal experience with their grandparents. Conclusions: This study revealed mainly positive experiences and attitudes of healthcare students toward older adults. The students' relationships with their grandparents contributed greatly to this outcome.