Investigation of quality of life and anxiety level of elderly people receiving home care service: Ankara Metropolitan Municipality example

With the increase in the number of elderly individuals in need of care support in the world, the need for care services for the elderly is also increasing significantly. In this study, it was aimed to examine the quality of life and anxiety level of the elderly who receive home care services in the example of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality. The research sample of this study, which was carried out with a quantitative research design, consisted of 103 elderly individuals over the age of 60 who received home care services from the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Elderly Service Center between March 1 and April 30, 2021 and agreed to participate in the research. Questionnaire developed by the researcher, World Health Organization Quality of Life Module (WHOQOL-OLD) and Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GQS) were used as data collection tools in the study. The data obtained were analyzed and interpreted with the SPSS 22 program. The participants of this study are mostly primary school graduates (62.1%) women (78.6%). Participants mostly (38.8%) had cardiological diseases and physical diseases (23.3%). Almost all of the participants (93.1%) who received the most health care services (44.7%) from home care services were satisfied with the home care services they received. In addition, the participants demand that the quality of home care services they receive should be increased, cleaning services should be more frequent and centers where they can spend their free time. The quality of life and geriatric anxiety level of the participants were low. As income and education level increase, the quality of life of individuals also increases. The quality of life of the participants who do not have any chronic disease is higher than those who have the disease. Participants who are older, have heart disease, and live with someone have higher anxiety levels. While the anxiety level of elderly individuals receiving cleaning service is higher, the anxiety level of those receiving psychological support services is lower. The research findings reveal the importance of improving the home care services provided by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Elderly Service Center in increasing the quality of life and reducing the anxiety levels of the elderly individuals who receive home care services. Keywords: Old age, elderly person, home care service, quality of life, geriatric anxiety