Most Nursing Home Residents Have Families That Have Quit SA, Study Finds.. Emigration by families, lack of support and feeling unsafe are the factors that push elderly people into nursing homes and frail care centres, new research suggests.
Writing in the African Journal of Primary Healthcare and Family Medicine, lead researcher Dr Letasha Kalideen from UKZN’s school of clinical medicine said the mainly white population of nursing homes shows the cultural, socioeconomic and historical influences that affect their use.
She said community education targeting other ethnic groups will be needed to change stereotypes about the use, access and benefit of long-term care facilities.
“Greater proportions of the residents are widows, and hence, we recommend elder care clubs and community engagement and outreach programmes to address social isolation among the elderly.
“This research provides insights into the socioeconomic and clinical characteristics of older residents of long-term care facilities and their reasons for choosing to live there.
“It also highlights residents’ vulnerability to malnutrition, frailty and depression, and suggests urgent needs for clinical and non-clinical interventions to address these priority issues,” Kalideen said.