Study highlights need for care, compassion in homes for elderly

A Saudi researcher has discovered the poor nature of care homes and the lack of intimacy and social interaction among patients.
The research stayed in a care home for elderly women in Madinah as a guest for three consecutive months to get a glimpse of patients’ daily lives.
The study, conducted Dr. Nada Bint Abdullah Elias, assistant professor of the Department of Social Sciences and Sociology in Taibah University, noted that social changes have prevailed in recent decades, which have had an important impact on the field of care for elderly citizens in Saudi Arabia. According to the study, the largest percentage of elderly people receive proper care from their families or relatives, and a significant minority are provided care in shelters or care homes by the government.
Elias said the objective of the study she conducted, for which she received her Ph.D. degree, was to discover the issues of the elderly women in Saudi Arabia.
The study targeted women over the age of 60, their families, and whoever provides care for them in Madinah. As part of her study, she stayed with patients at a care home for a period of three months.
The study revealed that the state of care homes is poor and lacks a friendly and emotionally stimulating atmosphere.
“The inmates of the care home were living in isolation from society because of the lack of visitors and the poor opportunities for social networking,” she said.
Elias stressed that decisions concerning the lives and the care of the elderly are affected by three key issues: Their economic situation, their health, and their family structure.
The study stressed that the change in the social role of older women is happening in different ways, and such changes affect their presence in the homes as many of the inmates of care homes have suffered from sudden and unacceptable changes in their social roles.
The researcher noted that in two of the surveyed cases in the study, there were two private nurses at a time. Expatriates in the shelters represent more than half of the staff, and do not receive adequate training to care for the elderly.
According to the researcher, although the results of the study are associated with only one care home and a small group of families, the outcome of the study raises issues and topics that have broader implications, and provide important indicators for establishing better care for the elderly in the context of Saudi Arabian society.
The study recommended that care provided within the family is the perfect choice for the convenience and well-being of the elderly. But if care institutions is the only option, the study indicated that it is essential to develop ways to improve the quality of life of inmates and promote the concept of self-adaptation, as well as encourage the continuity of the relationship with families and friends.
She also stated that the availability of a quality and attractive environment provides inmates with emotional stimulating lives. She also indicated that older women must be separated from the mental patients in order to protect their physical and psychological safety.