THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FRAILTY AND CAREGIVERS’ CLOSENESS IN ELDERLY PATIENTS IN TURKEY

Introduction:Being cared for by family members is very important in Turkish society. We aim to evaluate the relationship between the frailty index and caregivers’ closeness to patients aged 65 years and older. Materials and Method: Four hundred people aged 65 and over living in the Çumra district of Turkey’s Konya Province were included in our research. A sociodemographic data form consisting of 50 questions and the Tilburg Frailty Scale which consisted of 25 questions completed by all participants. Results:The prevalence of frailty was found to be 60.0%. A statistically significant difference was found in the Tilburg Frailty Scale among age groups (p < 0.0001).A statistically significant difference was also found in the Tilburg Frailty Scale between the group living alone and the group not living alone, between the group receiving care and the group not receiving care, and between those cared for by their children and those cared for by other relatives or neighbors. Conclusion:Frailty has been determined to be common enough to be considered a public health problem in Turkey. It has been concluded that almost all elderly people want to stay with their families and that state-sponsored arrangements are urgently needed in terms of caring for elderly people. The fastest and easiest way to educate caregivers and the elderly is possible with the family medicine system. We believe that the coordinated work of family doctors and caregivers will increase the success of home care.