Assessing Knowledge of Older Adults’ Caregivers about Goals, Mission, and Values of Home Health Care at KAMC in Riyadh

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Older adults suffer from several underlying diseases and conditions. Furthermore, their physical and mental health gradually deteriorated over time which made this population need care from others. Homecare healthcare is the direct provision of clinical services and/or medical supplies to patients in their homes. Caregivers play a critical role in providing efficient care for elders and they can be family members or hired professionals. AIM: The study aimed to assess the awareness of older adults’ caregivers about the goals, mission, and values of home health care (HHC) at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in Riyadh and the factors affecting their knowledge level. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive research was conducted on all caregivers of older adults at the HHC department at KAMC, Riyadh between the periods from December 15, 2023, to April 15, 2023. The study was conducted using a standardized self-administered questionnaire that involved three parts. Analysis of data was carried out by SPSS software version 24. RESULTS: A number of 302 participants were enrolled; 58.3% were males and 36.4% were daughters of the patients. There were 92.4%, 87.7%, and 78.1% knew about the goals, mission, and values of HHC, respectively. There 75.2% and 85.8% knew about the services and focus of HHC. The mean ± SD of knowledge score was 12.75 ± 4.05. Significant correlations were found between the mean score of knowledge and nationality (p = 0.02) and the relation of the participant to the patient (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Caregivers of older adults exhibited good knowledge regarding the goals, mission, and values of HHC. Furthermore, there was general good knowledge, but with few gaps. Nationality and relation to the patient were the only significant factors associated with knowledge.