Evaluation of Long Term Care for Dependent Elders by Family Care Teams In Chai Buri District, Surat Thani Province

Abstract

              This research was formative evaluation research. It’s objectives were to evaluate the context, input, process, output, as well as, compares self-help abilities, health condition before and after care providing by family care teams (FCTs), and problems during implementing of FCTs In Chai Buri District, Surat Thani Province. Both quantitative and qualitative study were used. The samples of quantitative study were principal officials who implemented sub-district FCTs, total 21 persons, besides, 123 dependent elders who rather could and could not do self-care. The samples of qualitative study, were 25 persons of FCTs,
Questionnaires, interviewing from, and in-depth interviewing from were used for data collecting during November 2016 – Febuary 2017. Descriptive statistics, paired t-test and content analyzing were used for data analyzing. The results were as follows:
              Context evaluation found that 90.5% of sub-district FCTs agreed with the policy of long-term care for elders by FCTs which better allowed them to health care. 84.3 and 66.0% of elders who rather could and could not do self-care respectively, need home health care by FCT. Regarding to input, Chai Buri District had FCTs operating at community, sub-district and district levels. 71.4% of sub-district FCTs got high level of implementing support, According
to process, 61.9% of sub-district FCTs had high level of implementing. For Communication during implementing, they used mobile phone and directly contacting, by 85.7 and 81.0%, respectively. 61.9% had participation in the overall of FCT operation at a moderate level. Regarding to outcome, 75.5 and 9.55% of elders who rather could and could not do self-care had ability to self-help before being treated by a FCT, and after being treated, 75.5 and 14.3%, respectively, were not significantly different. For health status showed that the self-care elderly, Before being treated by a FCT, 65.7 and 72.5% had good physical and mental health, and after being treated, 73.5 and 76.5% of them had good physical and mental health, respectively, which was better than before to be significantly cared. The elderly could not do self-care, mental health was significantly higher than before receiving care, but physical, before and after being treated were not significantly different. 49.0% of elders who rather could do self-care had high satisfied of care taking, in addition, 27.5 and 23.5% of them had low and moderate satisfied, respectively. However, 76.2% of elders who could not do self-care had high satisfied of care taking. 52.4% of SFCTs had moderate satisfied of giving care for dependent elders, 33.3 and 14.3% got high and low level, respectively. There were problems during implementing in the workload but there are few staff, lack of policy continuity in FCT, lack of certainty in appointments, visiting days and lack of vehicles by 28.6, 9.5, 4.8 and 4.8%, respectively.