Organization of health care of elderly people in the city of Skopje - conditions and needs

Abstract

The main goal of the paper was to understand the attitudes of the elderly in the city of Skopje regarding health care, organization and functioning of the health system for ensuring healthy and active aging. Methods: A descriptive-analytical method was used to present the results of the study (cross-sectional study) conducted on the territory of the city of Skopje in the period March-April 2019. A total of 350 respondents aged 65+ were included. A questionnaire containing 53 questions was developed and was designed to suit the age and sex of the respondents. The questionnaire was divided into four parts: first part - general and demographic characteristics; second part - health care; third part - mobility of the elderly; fourth part - conditions and lifestyle. The statistical analysis was performed with Windows 7.0 and SPSS, version 14. A statistical significance was used for two-way tests with a significance level of p <0.05. Results: Of the total of 350 respondents, 133 (38%) were male, and 217 (62%) were female, with a sex ratio of 0.61 : 1. According to the answers given by the respondents in our sample, 50 (37.9%) men and 124 (57.14%) women had chronic diseases. A total of 260 (75.6%) respondents stated that they were satisfied with the health information system "My Appointment" (“Moj Termin”). In terms of sex, 101 (78.9%) men and 159 (73.6%) women were satisfied with "My Appointment". A total of 84 (24.4%), 27 (21.1%) men and 57 (26.4%) women, stated that they were dissatisfied with this service. Forty-seven (47.5%) respondents said that discrimination in health care was done by a doctor, 43 (43.4%) said it was done by a nurse and according to 9 (9.1%) respondents, discrimination was done by both the doctor and the nurse. The results obtained showed that more often highly educated people recognized discrimination and abuse by the health personnel than people with lower level of education. Conclusion: The elderly exercise partially their rights to social and health care. The elderly would like to expand the opportunities for social and health benefits. In the self-assessment of the health condition, most of the elderly perceived their health status to be relatively good. The analysis showed a higher percentage of chronic illnesses in women than in men. Тhere is a correlation between active and healthy aging and socioeconomic conditions in which the elderly live.

How older adults experience the age-friendliness of Skopje: Results of the validation of the AFCCQ for use in North Macedonia and a representative survey

“…The way that the physical environment and public buildings are designed and maintained has a major impact on the mobility, independence and quality of life of older people and the extent to which they can age in place [ 41 ]. The results from our study are in line with the results of another study conducted in North Macedonia by Totikj et al [ 42 ], who found that the older adults in the city of Skopje are not sufficiently informed about their rights and services that they can use. The older adults would like to expand the opportunities for social and health benefits.…”

“…The older adults would like to expand the opportunities for social and health benefits. A number of obstacles in terms of access to services that appeared from the study by Totikj et al [ 42 ] were a lack of information on existing services and about their rights. In addition, written materials were insufficiently available in the languages of their respective communities.…”