Beliefs of undergraduate nursing students on aging

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify the conceptions of undergraduate Nursing students on aging. A qualitative research was carried at the Cidade de São Paulo University (Unicid); 49 students were requested to write a text whose theme was "what does being old mean?". The texts were submitted to a content analysis, in which three thematic units were identified: Representations of the old being; How respondents perceive old the elder in society and within the family; and the Need to change public opinion regarding aging. The results showed that conceptions of the students on aging are tied to negative images and showed the need for changes in the society and in the family.