Introduction: The life expectancy is extending, therefore the share of elderly people above 65 years is rapidly growing. Physical and mental changes in old age can make the elderly people more susceptible to injuries or sudden illness. With early detection of signs and symptoms and with proper actions, we can mitigate or prevent their consequences. The basic goals of first aid measures are not based solely on evidence-based scientific findings, but also on effectively training lay persons of all ages, even the elderly people. Purpose: To determine the elderly people’s opinion on first aid training. Methods: Data was obtained with the descriptive method and a semi-structured interview was used as a tool for collecting data. Interviews were carried out in June 2018. Sampling was purposive and included six elderly people who are physically active and talkative. Their participation was voluntary and anonymity was ensured. Interviews were recorded with the interviewees’ consent on a voice recorder. The voice records were used to make transcripts. Data was qualitatively analysed and classified into different categories for interpreting the results. Results: Six elderly people participated in the research, of which four were men and two were women. Interviewees associated the words “first aid” with accident and helping the fellow humans involved in an accident. All of them were last trained in first aid more than 38 years ago. The elderly people are willing to refresh their first aid knowledge, preferably by listening to lectures, reading brochures and watching TV, and some of them would also be willing to practice on a mannequin. Two interviewees of later old age would not be willing to participate in a refresher course with practical exercises, but would be willing to listen to lectures. This demonstrates the differences in the opinions of different age groups. Discussion and conclusion: The elderly persons who participated in the study are interested in first aid retraining, but the training would have to be adapted to their capabilities which is also evident from the results of other similar research. It would be sensible to conduct training as part of various organisations where activities for elderly people are conducted. The training would have to include familiarization with automatic defibrillators, because the majority of interviewed elderly people do not know where they are located and for what they are used.
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