Viewpoints of the members of the workers' retirement centers in Tehran about elderly day care centers (2012)

Abstract

Background: There is no documented evidence regarding elderly day care centers in Iran. This needs analysis study was conducted to investigate the demand for elderly day care centers in Tehran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted recruiting 210 participants aged over 60 who were members of the elderly retirement centers in Tehran in 2012. Data were gathered by Kansas state university questionnaire and analyzed using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: About 80% of participants were men with the mean age of 67.5±5.23 years. Results showed that male (P<0.001), married (P=0.01) and literate elderly (P<0.001), and those living in rental homes (P<0.001) expressed a greater need for elderly day care centers. There was no statistically significant relationship between the lifestyle (P=0.051) and income (P=0.08) of the participants and demand for elderly day care centers. Conclusion: Given the rising population of the elderly and their high demand for day care centers, it is necessary to establish well-equipped day care centers for this group of people. Also, these centers may reduce the burden of care for the aged people on public services and family care givers.