The relationship between frailty and elder abuse in patients 65 years and older receiving palliative care

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between frailty and elder abuse in patients aged 65 years and older receiving palliative care. The population of this cross-sectional study consisted of patients hospitalized in the palliative care unit of a state and a university hospital between 01.05.2023 and 14.04.2024. Samples were taken from 68 patients from the state hospital and 151 patients from the university hospital. In this study, data were collected with the Socio-Demographic Information Form, the Edmonton Frailty Scale (EFS-TR), the Geriatric Mistreatment Scale (GMS) and the KATZ Activities of Daily Living Scale (Katz ADL). The data of the study were evaluated with descriptive statistical methods (mean, standard deviation, median, percentage, minimum, maximum values) Student-t test, One-Way ANOVA test, Pearson Correlation Analysis, Mann Whitney U Test, Kruskal Wallis Analysis of Variance. Elderly patients with a mean age of 74.35±6.06 had a EFS-TR mean score of 8.26±2.86, a mean Katz ADL score of 3.23±1.86, and a mean GMS score of 0.68±1.55. Among the elderly patients, 19.6% stated that they had encountered neglect, 15.1% emotional abuse, 3.2% physical abuse, and 3.2% economic abuse. The rate of elderly patients being exposed to any type/types of abuse was determined to be 24%. A statistically significant difference was found between the EFS-TR and Katz ADL scale scores of elderly individuals according to age, education level, cohabitants, presence of a chronic disease, urine/fecal incontinence, number of emergency department applications and falls, and the assistive device used. It has been determined that family and caregiver relationships are associated with all types except physical abuse in elderly individuals. The level of abuse was found to be high in the elderly living in nursing homes with their children/grandchildren. It was determined that as the EFS-TR score increased in elderly individuals, the GMS score increased, and as the EFS-TR score increased, the Katz ADL score decreased. As a result, almost a quarter of older individuals are abused. Frailty and dependency are effective in abusing the older person with whom they live. Awareness and follow-up should be created in health services, especially for the elderly and vulnerable elderly who receive palliative care and who experience abuse and neglect. Studies to increase social awareness on the subject, undergraduate and postgraduate training and research on elder abuse and neglect are recommended.