Geriatric Depression and Death Depression in Older Individuals that are Provided with Care in the Hospitals Located in Northern Anatolia

International Journal of Caring Sciences, cilt.11, sa.2, ss.851-859, 2018 (Hakemli Dergi)

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the levels of geriatric depression (GD) and death depression(DD) in

older patients that are provided with care in hospitals in addition to the influential factors, and identify the

correlation between GD and DD.

Methods: This is a descriptive and correlational study. It was conducted with 150 older patients in an University

Hospital between December1, 2014 and March13,2015.

Results: The study found that the mean GD score of the participants18.51±7.35, and the mean DD score

was8.51±1.60.There was a significant correlation between the scores of the two scale. The participants’ GD

scores were affected by insufficient income, negative perception of health, dependency in daily life activities and

the period of hospitalization. Their DD scores were affected by the perception of health, presence of a chronic

illness and use of medication.

Conclusion: Mental health is under serious threat in older individuals. Thus, the study suggests that health

professionals create awareness to improve older people’s mental health and make initiatives about this issue.

Key words: Aged, Death, Gerıatrıcs, Depression