Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Caregiver of the Elderly with Alzheimer's regarding This Disease in Yazd City, 1400

Along with the increase in the elderly population, caring for the elderly with Alzheimer's disease has become a challenge in the field of their health and well-being. Also, the need for caregivers is increasing due to the lengthening of the care period. Considering that the nurses of Alzheimer's patients play the main role in providing services to the elderly, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the state of knowledge, attitude and practice of the caregiver of elderly Alzheimer's patients in Yazd city.

This study was descriptive. The sample size was 60 caregiver of elderly people with Alzheimer's disease in Yazd city. The sampling method in this study was based on the vailability of statistical research and consulting facilities. The data collection tool in this study was a four-part questionnaire (demographic, knowledge, attitude and practice) that was used in a similar study. Data were analyzed with SPSS24 software and using descriptive statistics as well as t-test and ANOVA.

The average age score of nurses was 62.73 ± 11.78. The average score of knowledge, attitude and practice of elderly caregiver were 21.58 ± 1.87, 35.65 ± 2.84 and 12.57 ± 1.28, respectively. The data showed that there is a significant relationship between the knowledge score and family ratio and previous experience of care. Also, there is a significant relationship between attitude score and previous care experience (P≤0.05).

Considering the importance of caregivers' knowledge of the phenomenon of aging and Alzheimer's disease, it is suggested to provide appropriate training to improve the knowledge and change the attitude of caregivers of the elderly in order to improve the quality and provide better and more suitable services for the elderly.