Turkish Journal of
GERIATRICS

Ege Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Halk Sağlığı Anabilim Dalı, Bornova /İZMİR The purposes of this cross-sectional and descriptive study were to determine the perceptions of the staff working in nursing home. The study was carried out in three nursing homes in Izmir. 89% 163) of the staff were completed a self-reported questionnaire. Women staffs were significantly more concerned about their working with the elderly people. No significant differences were found for the age. The staffs attributed some negative adjectives to elderly residents in nursing homes and most of them tended to view older people as having poor health and as being dependent on others. Almost 2/3 of the responders felt that ageing is a negative stage of life. Most of the staff said that they were doing something about planning for their senior years. Less than 50% of staff in the nursing homes were undertaking any form of continuing professional education. Findings revealed that staffs in long-term care setting had some problems and difficulties resulting from working for older people, institutional limitations and shortage of staff. Keywords : Nursing homes, Staff, Perception, Elderly