ABSTRACT

The Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative was established as a framework to guide higher education in the development of programs, practices, and partnerships that support aging populations. This study examined the need for age-friendly efforts to include dementia-friendly educational opportunities by providing information about undergraduate students’ personal experience, knowledge, and concern regarding dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (D/AD), along with their interest in D/AD educational support. A total of 106 students responded (30% response rate) to an online survey distributed in diverse classes, with more than 50% of students indicating that they had experience with someone with D/AD, primarily a grandparent. Students showed low levels of knowledge and strong concern about developing D/AD, confirming the need for more dementia-focused efforts. Students also expressed interest in a number of educational activities. These data call for AFU institutions to offer more age-friendly, dementia-friendly programs that provide students with needed information and support related to D/AD.

摘要

老年友好大学 (AFU) 倡议是作为指导高等教育发展支持老龄化人口的项目、实践和伙伴关系的框架而建立的。本研究通过提供有关本科生对痴呆和阿尔茨海默病 (D/AD) 的个人经历、知识和关注以及他们对 D/AD 的兴趣的信息，检验了对老年人友好的努力是否需要包括对痴呆友好的教育机会教育支持。共有 106 名学生对分布在不同班级的在线调查做出回应（30% 的回应率），超过 50% 的学生表示他们曾与患有 D/AD 的人（主要是祖父母）接触过。学生表现出低水平的知识和对发展 D/AD 的强烈关注，确认需要更多针对痴呆症的努力。学生们还对一些教育活动表示了兴趣。这些数据要求 AFU 机构提供更多对年龄友好、对痴呆症友好的项目，为学生提供与 D/AD 相关的所需信息和支持。