Abstract:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of the elderly’s exposure to abuse at the of Sinop with the oldest population in Turkey. This descriptive study was conducted with a total of 170 patients aged 65 and over who were hospitalized in the internal and surgical services due to any health problems in Sinop Atatürk State Hospital between March 01 and May 31, 2017. "Elderly Introduction Form" containing socio-demographic characteristics related to the descriptive characteristics of the elderly and "Hwalek-Sengstock Elderly Abuse Screening Test (H-S EAST)" were used to collect the data. Thirty eight percent of the individuals participating in the study are women, 81.2% are married and the average age is 70.94 ± 5.37. In our study, the mean score of "H-S EAST" was calculated as 2.16 ± 2.29. The mean score of the "Characteristics of the Vulnerable Elderly" sub-dimension of the test was 0.59 ± 0.68, the "Violation of Personal Rights and Direct Abuse" sub-dimension mean score was 0.77 ± 1.05, and the "Potential Abuse" sub-dimension mean score was 0.79 ± 1.10. When the "H-S EAST" score averages were compared according to the introductory characteristics of the elderly it was determined that there is a statistically significant relationship between age, family structure, and dependency level of the elderly and the total score averages of the test (p <0.05). As a result of our study, it was determined that the abuse risk of the elderly who participated in the study was low.

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