The Study on the Preparedness of Families to Care for Elderly Patients.

Abstract

     This descriptive research investigated the preparedness of families to care for elderly patients (aged 60 years and above), who received medical social work services at Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital between October 2023 and March 2024. The sample for this study consisted of 210 participants. The research instrument, which was used, was a family preparedness assessment questionnaire, which was divided into two sections: (1) the demographic information of the caregiver, and (2) the level of family preparedness to care for the patient across 10 dimensions.
     The instrument underwent a quality validation process, with Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) values ranging from 0.8 to 1.0, and a reliability/consistency coefficient of 0.908. The data analysis, which used frequencies and percentages, revealed that the majority of families had exhibited a minimal level of preparedness in caring for elderly patients, particularly in terms of the knowledge that is related to patient care, which had the lowest mean score of 0.21. However, in terms of income, the mean score was the highest at 3.03, indicating that the families had sufficient incomes to support caregiving. Nevertheless, preparedness in areas, such as knowledge management and caregiving skills for the elderly, remained at a level that requires further development.In addition, factors, such as communication and mutual understanding among family members, are crucial for providing effective care to elderly individuals. Therefore, it is essential to enhance caregiving skills, provide social support to families, and establish community networks that can assist families. These efforts will help to improve the quality of elderly care and will promote a better quality of life for older adults.