Attitudes and Knowledge of Aging and Dementia Among Legal and Medical Professionals

Researchers have investigated the impact of professionals' interpretations of different levels of dementia on quality of life based on nonpharmacological and pharmacologic methods. However, fewer studies have focused on the professionals' levels of knowledge about dementia, their attitudes toward these individuals, and their theoretical and ethical preferences. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of professionals' completion of course training in assessing levels of dementia, knowledge of ageing, level of support for the adversarial court process, theoretical ethical preference, job roles, and attitudes toward individuals challenged by dementia. The humanistic theoretical approach suggests that a patient's strengths and needs impact their quality of life. This descriptive quantitative study utilized survey questionnaires to collect data from medical, legal, and other professionals trained and untrained in dementia assessment. The survey included a demographic questionnaire, Forsyth's Ethics Position Questionnaire, Kogan's Attitudes toward Old People Scale, and Palmore's Facts on Aging Quizzes I and II. The t-test results demonstrated that medical professionals had statistically significant greater knowledge of aging, higher levels of training with regard to dementia, and more positive attitudes toward aging and dementia compared to legal professionals. Legal professionals showed significantly greater levels of support for the adversarial court process compared to medical professionals. Implications for positive social change include enhancing training and education with regard to aging and dementia, especially among legal professionals, which may result in modifying the adversarial court process.