Ahead of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, one Charles Sturt University (CSU) nursing academic is doing her bit to improve the quality of aged care in Australia by changing student attitudes to aged care.

Dr Maree Bernoth from the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health at CSU in Wagga Wagga said, "In keeping with societal attitudes and stigmas, undergraduate nursing students tended to find the study of ageing and caring for older people basic, disinteresting and irrelevant."

To confront these attitudes and to show the students the complex and highly skilled nature of aged care, Dr Bernoth developed online resources for her students and encouraged them to engage during their time at CSU with older people.

The United Nations has designated Sunday 15 June as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day to focus global attention on the problem of physical, emotional, and financial abuse of elders.

Dr Bernoth said, "The quality of the education provided to nursing students and other aged care workers is extremely important in combating abuse of elders.

"Previously the nursing students undertaking the aged care subject would come in contact with only frail dependent older people during a work placement in residential aged care.

"Although obviously a very significant setting, I wanted to broaden their views of aged care nursing and foster their contact with well, older people.

"During tutorials for the aged care subject, third year Bachelor of Nursing students are able to meet and talk with members of the Older Men New Ideas (OMNI) group, whose ages range from 73 to 93.

OMNI member Dr Ray King said, "The involvement of our members in Maree's learning initiatives benefitted both the presenters from our group and the nursing students."

Dr Bernoth said, "The students are also engaging with older people outside tutorials by interviewing older people in the main shopping precinct in Wagga Wagga."

Drawing on the acting, producing, editing and design skills of students from the University's School of Communication and Creative Industries, a DVD of an older couple living in the community, The Colgraves, has been developed for use in the aged care subject. It is now part of the assessment for the subject

"The feedback on these initiatives from nursing students, graduates and those who come across our graduates in the workplace has been positive and encouraging," Dr Bernoth said.

"During the past four years, I have motivated students to learn more about the care of the older people and student engagement with this aged care subject has increased.

"I believe our students are taking their knowledge and skills into their professional arenas, translating knowledge into practice.

"Ultimately this is making a difference to the standard of care of Australia's ageing population."

The SNMIH is working towards extending these initiatives by working in collaboration with Murrumbidgee Medicare Local. The two organisations are developing opportunities for students' to experience a wide variety of ways of working with older people.

Another goal to enhance student learning is to establish clinics to support well, older people.

For her initiatives, the CSU academic received a 2013 Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning from the Australian Government's Office of Student Learning and Teaching. Read more in CSU News here.