Informal learning of elderly adults about health problems

In this study, it is aimed to determine what the informal learning resources related to health issues are and what they learn from these informal learning resources and the reflection of this learning on their lives according to their own views. The research was carried out with the qualitative research method and was designed with multiple case analysis. The data sources of the research consist of 32 elderly people living in the Central Artuklu district of Mardin province. Maximum diversity sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods, was used to determine the participants. The data of the study was created by interview method; The interviews were made a semi-structured interview form. The analysis of the interview data was made sense by making content analysis and using descriptive analysis approach when necessary. In addition, Chi-Square test and Fisher's Exact Chi-Square test were conducted to see whether informal learning themes (between informal learning resources and informal learning approaches) differ according to age, gender and educational status. In the research; all of the participants were married, 1/3 of the participants are illiterate and all of the illiterate are housewives and the diseases they encounter most are heart and blood pressure. Participants learned about their health by using resources such as doctor, experience, television, themselves, dentists, written documents, children and relatives, spouses, friends and environmental pharmacists, drug leaflets and the internet. Participants benefited from these resources using the approaches of consultation, experimentation, perception, self-direction, advice, prior learning, and modeling. When the participants encounter a situation that they do not know about their diseases, they receive support from the doctor, hospital, 112 emergency health services and their relatives. Since 1/3 of the participants could not ask health professionals about their illness, they did not benefit from the health personnel as an informal learning resource. Participants generally apply their informal learning about health in their lives. While the learning resource used by the participants did not differ according to the age and gender variable, it differed according to the educational status variable.