Abstract:

The aim of this study is to determine the problems experienced by the elderly due to the hospital physical environment and the factors affecting. The study was cross-sectional and was performed among elderly people aged 65 years and over who applied to university hospital and city hospital, in 2019. The study included 400 elderly. Data was obtained with socio-demographic data form, quality of life short form (SF12) and questionnaire determining the appropriateness of physical arrangements in and around the hospital. The questionnaires were completed by the researcher through the interviews. Adequacy level was analyzed with chi-square test and binary logistic regression. Forty-nine point three percent of the participants was woman, 67.5% was married, 48.3% was in the 65-69 age group, 80.5% has at least one chronic disease and 65.5% of them uses assistive devices. The average physical and mental health score is 37.94 and 41.85, respectively. The 67.0% of elderly give a positive opinion about safety and comfort of in-hospital arrangements and 23.8% of them give a positive opinion about safety and comfort of around hospital arrangements. The probability of finding in-hospital arrangements sufficiently safe and comfortable was found to be higher among those who applied to city hospitals, men, married, people living in the city center and those with high physical health scores. Two thirds of elderly stated that in-hospital physical arrangements are equally safe and comfortable. As the physical quality of life of the elderly increased, they evaluated the hospital as physically more adequate, but there was no relationship with the quality of mental life.                                                 

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