Anxiety in The Elderly is Related to an Interest in Visiting Health Facilities During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Anxiety about dealing with the infectious nature of COVID-19 can influence the elderly to avoid visiting health facilities due to concerns about the rapid transmission of the disease. The impact of decreasing interest in visiting the elderly with comorbidities to health facilities causes repeated recurrences, and they do not get treatment to improve their health. The aim of this research was to determine the correlation between anxiety and interest in visiting health facilities in the elderly with comorbid diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. The variables in this research were anxiety and interest in visiting health facilities. They used a questionnaire for data collection. The design of this research was a correlation with a cross-sectional approach, a sample of 32 respondents, and a purposive sampling technique. The results showed that most of the respondents (53.1%), 17 respondents, experienced moderate anxiety. Most of the respondents (62.5%), 20 respondents, had sufficient interest in visiting. Based on the Spearman's rank test, a p-value of 0.032 (α = 0,05) was obtained, meaning that there was a correlation between anxiety in comorbid elderly people and interest in visiting health facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic with a weak correlation category (r = 0.380). The elderly's anxiety about visiting health facilities during the pandemic can be because the elderly are getting tired of the comorbid disease process they experience; the elderly also feel vulnerable to infection due to information related to COVID-19 transmission; the elderly are afraid to die when confirmed with COVID-19; the elderly are worried about the health of their families and the elderly as well. Worried that they have contracted the COVID-19 virus? It is recommended for respondents not to be afraid or anxious about coming to health facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The elderly can visit health facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic safely by always complying with health protocols.