Problems Faced by Family Members Caring for Older Adults

Abstract

Elderly individuals are the individuals most affected by the pandemic and have a high mortality rate. It is in parallel with the developments in science and technology, the average life expectancy is increasing and the population is getting older with the improvement of living conditions, the advancement of modern medicine, effective and widespread health services. Reasons such as the increase in chronic diseases and physical limitations in the aging population increase the number of people in need of care. Depending on the aging of the population, care problems arise in societies. One of the most important problems encountered in aging societies is the problem of care. The aim of the study is to identify the psychological, social and economic difficulties faced by the relatives of the elderly who have undertaken the care of the elderly, to understand how the caregiver family member approaches these difficulties and to reveal the causes of these difficulties. Qualitative research method was applied in the study and in-depth interviews were conducted with the relatives of 10 elderly individuals in need of care using a semi-structured interview form prepared in advance. In the study, it was determined that care is reflected as a burden on the relatives of the elderly around factors such as globalization, industrialization, rural-urban migration, changing family structure, increasing the level of education of women and finding a place in working life as a result of the characteristics of the age we are in. Factors such as the age and gender of the elderly relatives who undertake the burden of care, whether they have a disease or not, their closeness to the elderly, whether they receive economic support and social support or not reveal how the problems encountered are approached. In this context, according to the findings of the study, it was determined that women who undertook the care of the elderly, had some health problems, and did not receive economic and social support experienced more problems. Women caregivers expressed that they were in feelings of burnout and helplessness, that they were not enough for themselves and their families, and that they had problems with their spouses and children. As a result, in order to eliminate these problems, local and national regulations are needed to provide psycho-social support to family members who take care of the elderly.

Keywords

• elderly care
• informal care
• care problems
• women