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.
