Elderly Neglect among the Population of Home Health Care Services of Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Elderly Neglect among the Population of Home Health Care Services of Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Dr. Maryam Chapra, Dr. Rabaa Al Momen

Prince Sultan Military Medical City(PSMMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Paper num: 26

Background

Elderly neglect is an international problem that is unrecognized and understudied in Saudi Arabia. There is a need to know if the elderly in this society are neglected by their families; and if so, how can we prevent neglect and improve the quality of their lives.

Objective

The objective is to measure the prevalence of elderly neglect among the population of Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Home Health Care under the Department of Family Medicine and study factors related to neglect and to make a comparison between the neglected and not neglected groups.

Method

A record based, cross-sectional study of elderly under the care of the Family Medicine Department, Home Health Care Services of Prince Sultan Military Medical City was done. A Sample of 363 elderly of 65 years and above was randomly selected and their files were studied for sociodemographic, physical, psychological and cognitive aspects. The responsible trained team members of Home Health Services were asked about their opinion about the degree of neglect. The factors associated with elderly neglect were determined and then analyzed using chi-square.

Results

Prevalence of neglect was (12%). Elderly male were more associated with neglect than females (19%: 8%), as were married elderly (71%). Neglect was associated with factors e.g. low income (25%) and psychological illnesses (80%), while cognitive impairment had no statistical significance. Only (23%) of families favored elderly care centers, while the majority (77%) thought it was “not an option”.

Conclusion

Data showed a prevalence of (12%) of elderly neglect in the population of Home Health Care of Family Medicine in Prince Sultan Military Medical City. The Society was not accepting to the idea of elderly care centers, as (77%) thought it was not an option.

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