Effect of Simulated Aging Game versus Traditional Lecture on Nursing Students' Knowledge and Attitude towards Elderly

Abstract

Attitude of nursing students toward elderly tends to be negative. This attitude can bechanged by increasing awareness of normal aging processes through simulated aging games.Objective: Determine the effect of simulated aging game versus traditional lecture on nursingstudents' knowledge and attitude towards elderly. Setting: This study was conducted in theGerontological Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing-Mansoura University. Subjects: Atotal number of 82 fourth year nursing students were included in the study. Tools: Three toolswere used for data collection; Nursing Students’ Socio-Demographic, and their Experiencewith Elderly Structured Interview Schedule, Kogan Attitudes towards Old People Scale(KAOP), and Nursing Students' Knowledge Related to Normal Physiological Changes OfAging. Results: Significant differences in knowledge and attitude scores among students inthe simulation group compared to those in the lecture group after the application of thesimulation game. Conclusion: Simulation improves knowledge, and attitude of nursingstudents toward older adults than the traditional lecture. Recommendations: Simulation is aneffective teaching method that enables students to improve their knowledge and attitudetoward elderly.