SOCIAL WELFARE

The study investigated the attitude of social welfare officers towards the aged in Benin community. Four (4) research questions were raised to guide the study. The study adopted survey research design. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire; it was built around the research question by the researcher and validated by the researcher’s supervisor. Data collected were analyzed using frequency count, percentages, mean and standard deviation. The major findings of the study are as follows: social welfare officers have positive attitude towards the aged in Benin Community; the attitudes of social welfare services to the elderly population influence: the level of interaction and communication of social workers with the aged, affects their quality of services, the relationship between social workers attitude and the aged and the professionalism of social workers; the respondents agreed that factors contribute to the formation of these attitudes among social welfare officers include: Personal beliefs and values, Religious beliefs. Formal and professional training and Personal life experience. And the potential consequences of negative attitudes towards the aged on the well-being and quality of life of the elderly population include: negative stereotypes or prejudices about the elderly may lead to discrimination or social exclusion, older individuals may experience reduced access to healthcare or support services due to negative attitudes, negative attitudes towards aging impact the mental and emotional well-being of elderly individuals and negative attitudes can contribute to increased feelings of loneliness and isolation among the elderly. Based on the findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are made: Social welfare officers should maintain good attitude towards the aged in Benin Community and Social workers should always bear it in mind that their attitude towards the aged is very important amongst others