Development of the family support scale (FSS) for elderly people

Abstract

The situation of elderly people is an increasingly pressing global concern. This issue is especially challenging for developing countries, where, traditionally, the majority of the elderly people have lived with their family and have been dependent on family support. Nowadays, however, appropriate family support is no longer guaranteed. An assessment tool for measuring active family support would be useful for describing the real living situation of the elderly. The purpose of this study was to develop an active family support scale for elderly people in Bangladesh. This study’s participants were 20 elderly people (aged from 65 to 75 years) who were asked about the support they perceived that they receive from their families. The proposed instrument was found to be a reliable family support scale for Bangladeshi elderly with an internal consistency reliability level of 0.94 (Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient). The study’s findings are considered transferable to other developing countries. The scale can be used to assess elderly people’s perceived family support in Bangladesh and other developing countries and can support initiatives to improve family support.