Nurses’ attitudes to care of the elderly

Abstract

According to the United Nations most recent figures (2020), the percentage of the people over the age of 65 accounts for 9.31% of the total global population in 2020. This phenomena is expected to have a direct impact on health care services, raising demand and influencing health care workers' attitudes and services for elderly individuals.  The purpose of this study is to analyze nurses' attitudes toward senior care and to identify the associated factors that influence their opinions. The study is of the transverse (cross-sectional) type. Between January and March 2022, 299 nurses were surveyed at four public institutions: the University Clinical Centre, the General Hospital "Dr. Sami Haxhibeqiri" in Mitrovica, the Main Centre of Family Medicine "Dr. Hafir Shala" in Drenas, and the Family Medicine Centre in Komoran. The sample was chosen at random. The majority of the nurses in the survey (86.3%) agree with the statement that they have favorable attitudes toward aged care and that health services are provided qualitatively in the health institutions where the research was performed (76% of respondents). The amount of education of nurses had the greatest impact on the emergence of compliance with positive attitudes, with results showing that nurses with a higher level of education tend to have compliance with more favorable attitudes toward care for elderly individuals. The majority of the nurses who took part in the study believe that they have generally positive views toward aged care and that the provision of nursing care services in their healthcare institutions is of high quality.