THE EDEN ALTERNATIVE: IMPACT ON STUDENT ATTITUDES

Nursing homes as clinical sites for student learning have the potential to produce negative attitudes toward aging. The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to determine the impact of the Eden Alternative on the attitudes of students toward elders residing in nursing homes. Prior to beginning implementation of the Eden Alternative, 61 students completed the Health Professional Beliefs and Opinions about Elders. At 2 years after implementation of the Eden Alternative, 73 students completed the same survey. The second group reflected significantly more positive attitudes toward elders living in nursing homes.