Evaluation of discriminatory attitudes of personnel working in elderly care centers toward older individuals.

This study aims to evaluate the discriminatory attitudes of personnel working in elderly care institutions toward older individuals. It also examines how the staff's level of burnout—including exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment—affects their attitudes toward the elderly. The sample of the study consists of 205 employees working in nursing homes and elderly care centers located in Istanbul. Data were collected using a "Personal Information Form," the "Elder Discrimination Attitude Scale," and the "Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Form," and analyzed using the SPSS program. The results show that higher burnout levels are associated with more negative and discriminatory attitudes toward older adults. Staff with lower educational attainment and those serving in support roles exhibited the highest levels of ageist attitudes. Additionally, as job satisfaction increased, so did positive discrimination attitudes, and a weak but significant positive correlation was found between overall discrimination scores and satisfaction. These findings underscore the importance of considering care staff's psychosocial characteristics in service delivery. The study's outcomes are expected to inform the development of institutional care policies, the design of staff-training–based interventions, and to contribute to the discipline of forensic science. Keywords: Ageism, Older Adults, Care Personnel, Burnout, Forensic Sciences