Impact Of Care Given By Community Health Workers On Management Of Elderly Person In Gokana LGA
ABSTRACT
With the global trend towards an increasing aging population, there is a corresponding increase in the health problems associated with elderly population especially in developing Countries including Nigeria. The study was aimed to assess the impact of care of the elderly people among community health workers in Gokana LGA, Rivers State. The study adopted a cross sectional descriptive design. The population of the study was 1023 health workers, which was made up of 402 Doctors, 600 Nurses, 10 Dentists and 11 Physiotherapists that provided direct clinical care of elderly people. The sample was calculated using Taro-Yamane (1967) simplified formula for finite population giving a sample of 461 health workers. The instrument for data collection was questionnaires, the reliability of the instrument was done using test retest method and a reliability co-efficient of 0.91 was obtained. The questionnaires had five sections, section A covered socio demographic data, section B, C, D consisted of items which explored level of knowledge. Attitude, practice and section E elicited information on factors influencing the care of the elderly. The completed questionnaire was coded and analyzed using E.P.I info-7. Descriptive statistics of percentage, mean, standard deviation were used for data analysis. The criterion mean of 2.5 was also used and results of the study revealed that 95% of the health workers had good knowledge of care of the elderly. Majority of the health workers had positive attitude above rating scale of 2.5. The health workers moderately practiced care of the elderly. The factors that positively influenced health workers attitude to the care of the elderly were years of experience, age and mental state of the elderly. There was significant association (P<0.05) between attitude of Health Workers and mean years of experience.
REFERENCES
- Abdulraheem I. S. and Parakoyi D.B. (2005) Improving Attitude towards Elderly People:
- Evaluation of an intervention Programme for Caregivers. Nigerian Journal Postgraduate Medical, (12),4 280-285.
- Abyad A. (2001). Health Care for Older Persons: A Country Profile—Lebanon Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 1366–1370.
- Abyad A. (2006). Health care services for the elderly in the Middle East. The Middle East journal of business. Administration and Aging U.S. Department of Health and Human Service. A profile of older Americans:
- Adio-Moses, A. N, (2001) Pre-retirement education and improved welfare of retirees in some selected industries in Lagos state Thesis, Dept. of Adult Education, University of Ibadan. Nigeria.
- Alliance for Aging Research (2003) Ageism how healthcare fails the elderly. Alliance for aging Research, Washington, D.C. available from http/www.agingresearch.org/ccontent/article/ details/694
- Aizheimer’s society (2009) Counting the cost: caring for people with Dementia in hospital wards, Alzheimer’s society, London, UK.
- Aubrey de Gray D.N (2007) Life span extension. Research and public debate: societal considerations (PDF) studies in Ethics, Law and Technology. ICI, Article 5 2202/19416008
- Ayres, C. (2008). Mediators of the relationship between social support and positive health practices among middle adolescents. Journal of Pediatric Healthcare, 22(2). 94-102.
- Beard R.L. (2004)In their voices: Identity preservation and experiences of Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Aging Studies;18:415-428.
- Baum F. E, Ziersch A (2003) Social character department of public health. J. Epidemiology community health 2003 57:320-323 do:10.1136/jech 57.5:320
- Berger U, Dev. G, Mutrie N, Hannah Mk. (2005). The impact of retirement on physical activity. Aging and society; 25: 181-195.
- Barman A, Snyder, S. J, Kozier .B, Erb. G (2008) Kozier and Erbs Fundamentals of Nursing 8 edition Pearson prentice Hall New Jersey 07458
- Bowen, R. L, Atwood C. S [2004] Living and dying for sex. A theory of ageing based on modulation of cell cycle signaling by productive hormones Gerontology 50[5]265-90.
- Bowling A (2005) Ageing well: quality of life in old age. (Milton Keynes) Open University Press. ISBN 0-335-21509-2.
- Bridges J. (2012) Meeting the acute care need of older people; the future is in our hands. International Journal of older people Nursing. Blackwell Publishing LTDS.
- Brog C, Hallberg I R, Blomgrist K. (2006) Life satisfaction among older people (65th) with reduced self-care capacity; relationship to social, health and financial aspects: J. Clin Nursing. 115, (5) 607-18.
IF YOU CAN'T FIND YOUR TOPIC, CLICK HERE TO HIRE A WRITER»
