The role of care-giving in the well-being of the older persons in Kirinyaga County, Kenya

Authors

  • Beth Wangithi Murage Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Kenyatta University, Kenya
  • Peterson Njogu Warutere Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Kenyatta University, Kenya
  • Judy Wairimu Mugo Department of Population, Reproductive Health and Community Resource Management, Kenyatta University, Kenya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20214251

Keywords:

Older persons, Nutrition status, Caretakers

Abstract

Background: The population of the older persons is increasing steadily worldwide. This is secondary to lower fertility rate and increasing longer life. With the increased older person’s population, societies get challenges taking care of the health function of older people. The growth in older person’s population comes with the challenges of taking care of the older persons. As old age sets in, quality of life goes down.

Methods: Population based cross-sectional descriptive study was used. Multi-stage sampling method was applied to select participating units starting with Sub County, wards, and then villages. Households with an older person were selected and formed a sampling frame. Systematic random sampling using the sampling frame formed was used at household level to select 333 participating respondents. In case a house hold had more than one older person the eldest or the head of the household/bread winner was selected. Statistical package for social sciences version 25 was used for data analysis. Descriptive analysis was used for social-demographic characteristics. Testing the association between independent variables and dependent variables was done using Chi-square and Odds ratio.

Results: The results indicated that age of the older persons respondents (p=0.0001), education (p=0.046), walking with support (p=0.001) and occupation (p=0.020) were significantly associated with care giving in personal hygiene practices. Most of respondents 100 (30.0%) carried out daily activity by themselves, equally by the relative especially on bathing 182 (54.7%) and attending medical appointments 107 (32.1%).

Conclusions: The role of care giving in enhancing well-being of the older persons was hygiene, nutrition, environment and older persons abuse whereby feeding and older persons abuse were the most significant.

Author Biographies

Beth Wangithi Murage, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Kenyatta University, Kenya

Kenyatta University , Department of Community Health and Epidemiology.

Peterson Njogu Warutere, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Kenyatta University, Kenya

 Department of Environmental and Occupation Health

Judy Wairimu Mugo, Department of Population, Reproductive Health and Community Resource Management, Kenyatta University, Kenya

Department of Population, Reproductive Health and Community Resource Management (Kenyatta University).

References

WHO. HIV infection in older adults in sub-Saharan Africa: extrapolating prevalence from existing data. World Heal Organ. 2010;96(32):100-210.

UNDP. Nutrition of older people in emergencies. United Nation Dev Progr. 2015;87(11):23-59.

WHO. Valuing older people: time for a global campaign to combat ageism. World Heal Organ Libr. 2015;31(55):879-938.

SAGE. Multicentre study on ageing, health and well-being among people aged 50 years and over in eight countries in Africa and Asia. Glob Health Action. 2013;3(8):77-86.

HAI. Sustainable Development in Ageing World: A call to UN Member states on the development agenda beyond 2015. Help Age Int. 2010;16(9):102-10.

Lancet. Linking ageing to development agendas in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and approaches. Lancet (London, England). 2017;1(1):51-73.

Baker JA, Roberto KA, Barrow KM. Making sense of intimate partner violence in late life: comments from online news readers. Gerontologist. 2016;11(1):30-4.

WHO. Definition of an older or older persons person. Geneva, Switzerland. World Heal Organ Libr. 2019; 45(6):124-231.

Mangiola J. Family involvement in care transitions of older adults: What do we know and where do we go from here. Annu Rev Gerontol Geriatr. 2016;31(11): 61-4.

Waudo J. The Nutritional Status of the older persons in Kenya. A paper presented at the Nutritional and Family Conference, North Coast hotel, Mombasa. Int J Epidemiol. 2018;43(29):198-204.

Downloads

Published

2021-10-27

How to Cite

Murage, B. W., Warutere, P. N., & Mugo, J. W. (2021). The role of care-giving in the well-being of the older persons in Kirinyaga County, Kenya. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 8(11), 5210–5215. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20214251

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles