Associated Factors for Knowledge on Dementia among Professional Caregivers of Older People at Elderly Care Centers in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka.

Abstract

Background: Dementia is a common psychogeriatric problem among older people that manifests with progressive memory impairment. Formal caregivers play an essential role in carrying out non-pharmacological treatments and supporting people with dementia. Knowledge of caregivers on dementia symptoms and its risk factors is important for early seeking of help for dementia diagnosis and treatment which eventually results to improve patient’s quality of life and vice versa. Objective: To determine the knowledge and associated factors for dementia knowledge among the caregivers at elderly care centers Method: This is an institutional-based descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at both governmental and non-governmental elderly care centers in Jaffna district, Sri Lanka from January to December 2023. A total population of 142 caregivers were enrolled conveniently for this study. A predesigned, validated Dementia knowledge assessment tool was used as an interviewer administered questionnaire to gather data. Chi-Square test was used to check the associated factors for knowledge on dementia. Results: In this study, response rate was 95.3%. The majority of participants were young adults (71.1%, n=101), married (45.1%, n=64), females (77.5%, n=110), and Sri Lankan Tamil (88.7%, n=126). The majority of the participants did not feel exhausted by the workload (85.2%, n= 121), reported adequate facilities in their institution (97.9%, n=139), satisfaction with current work (95.8%, n=136) and having less than five years of work experience (76.8%, n= 109). Majority of the participants (62%, n= 88) had adequate knowledge on dementia and its symptoms. Statistically significant associations observed with the gender (p=0.016) and race (p=0.007) where female participants and Sri Lankan Tamils had significantly higher knowledge than males and other races. Conclusion: Majority of the caregivers possess sufficient knowledge about dementia. It is recommended to conduct this study as a generalized study in future, in other parts of Sri Lanka including more participants.