The needs and opportunities of older laypeople to acquire first aid skills.

We aimed to determine the needs and opportunities of older lay people to obtain first aid skills. We determined the level of theoretical knowledge of performing first aid with a structured questionnaire, performed on the sample of 842 adult inhabitants of Slovenia. The method of sampling was balanced by using a system of sampling weights in order to correct deviations in the structure of the sample to the level of the population structure. We also checked their attitude regarding the renewal of first aid knowledge. The level of self-assessment of first aid knowledge and actual theoretical knowledge of proper first aid measures typically decreased with age. The percentage of those who had attended first aid courses at any time was statistically significantly lower among respondents over the age of 60; 38% of elderly respondents thought they needed to renew their first aid knowledge, and 44% would attend a suitable first aid course. None of the 29 European Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies member states that responded have a developed a formally adopted first aid program to train the elderly. A tailored first aid training program for the elderly could be one of the many steps that should be taken to ensure adequate health care for the elderly population.