An assessment of informal caregivers' knowledge levels on daily and emergency care practices for the elderly: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Abstract

This study was aimed to determine knowledge level of informal caregivers daily care, emergency situations and the effect of the socio-demographic characteristics of informal caregivers on their knowledge levels. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted between November 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, with 83 (79.8 %) informal caregivers living in rural areas in northeast Türkiye. The data were collected using the Barthel Index for Activities of Daily Living, the Socio-Demographic Questionnaire, and the Questionnaire for Information on Elderly Care and Situations Requiring Emergency Care. 54 (65.1 %) of caregivers were women, 74 (89.2 %) did not receive training on the daily care of the elderly. A statistically significant difference was determined between the level of knowledge of caregivers about elderly care, caring experience for the elderly and emergency situations, their education level, and their perceptions of needing further information about elderly care (p < 0.05). Informal care givers should be trained by nurses.