Knowledge and practices of primary care- givers of older adults and factors influencing the care of older adults in selected Grama Niladhari Divisions in Batticaloa District

Abstract

Sri Lanka's aging population is rapidly increasing due to higher life expectancy and declining fertility rates. Most older adults rely on home-based care from caregivers who are mostly untrained family members. Caregivers often face gaps in knowledge and effective practices, emotional and physical burdens, limited resources for proper care. These challenges highlight the need for educational support, home facilities, and stronger care giving systems to improve quality of care and well-being of older adults. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of primary caregivers of older adults and factors influencing on the care of older adults in selected Grama Niladhari (GN) divisions in Batticaloa district. A community based descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 330 primary caregivers of older adults, in selected Grama Niladhari (GN) divisions in Batticaloa district. The participants were selected through a complete enumeration. After obtaining written consent from the participants, data was collected using a pre-tested, validated interviewer administered questionnaire and their overall knowledge and practices regarding caring the older adults were measured based on their individual scores. Collected data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences-version 27 (SPSS version-27). Descriptive statistics were utilized to answer the objectives. The study revealed major gaps in home-based elderly care. Only 3% of caregivers had good knowledge, 37% had moderate, and 60% had poor knowledge. Similarly, just 2% demonstrated good care giving practices, while 40% were moderate and 58% poor. Most households lacked essential facilities for hygiene, mobility, safety, and health monitoring. Significant associations were found between care giving practices and factors such as caregiver age, education, occupation, income, relationship to the older adult, and duration of care giving. This study highlights significant gaps in knowledge, practices, and home facilities among primary caregivers of older adults in community settings. Factors such as caregiver education, income level, and relationship to the older adult influenced the quality of care. These findings highlight the need for caregiver education programs, enhanced public health support to strength the home-based older adult care and uplift the caregiver.