The Effectiveness of an Information Booklet on Knowledge Regarding Management of Sleep Disturbances among Senior Citizens

Abstract

BACKGROUND Aging is associated with multiple physiological changes, including alterations in sleep patterns. Sleep disturbances among elderly individuals can result in adverse health outcomes, including cognitive decline, depression, and cardiovascular diseases. Effective management strategies can significantly improve the sleep quality of senior citizens. INTRODUCTION Sleep is a naturally occurring altered state of consciousness characterized by decrease in awareness and responsiveness to stimuli. Sleep disturbances are prevalent among senior citizens, leading to a significant decline in their quality of life. The collective term sleep disturbances refer to conditions that affect sleep quality, timing, or duration and impact a person’s ability to properly function while they are awake. Sleep disturbances in older adults may be due to any disease or any other factors like Alzheimer disease, alcohol, change in the body’s natural internal clock, causing some people to fall asleep earlier in the evening. AIM/OBJECTIVES This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an information booklet in enhancing knowledge regarding the management of sleep disturbances among the elderly residing in urban areas of villages Ratti, Disrict Mandi (H.P) . METHODOLOGY Pre-experimental on group pre-test and post-test research design was used to collect data from senior citizens. A total of 60 senior citizens were enrolled on the study by using a purposive sampling technique. The structured knowledge questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge regarding management of sleep disturbances among senior citizens. Result: The data were gathered and analysed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. In post-test knowledge score the knowledge of senior citizen was good 40(66.7%), average 15(25%) and poor 5(8.3%). There is an association between knowledge scores and certain socio-demographic variables. The chi-square test results indicate that educational status and previous knowledge on sleep disturbances have a significant association with pre-test knowledge scores (p < 0.05). However, age, gender, and marital status do not show a statistically significant association. The calculated chi-square values were less than the table value at the 0.05 level of significance. The study findings revealed that the study supports that an information booklet is an effective educational tool to improve knowledge regarding sleep disturbance management among senior citizens. CONCLUSION The study concludes that the information booklet is an effective tool in enhancing knowledge regarding the management of sleep disturbances among senior citizens.