KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOURS OF ELDERLY PEOPLE LIVING AT A NURSING HOME RELATED TO PNEUMOCOCCAL AND INFLUENZA VACCINES

Introduction: The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020; since then, protecting the elderly against infections through immunisation has become increasingly critical. This study aims to assess the knowledge level of individuals aged 65 years and above at a nursing home who are in the risk group for pneumococcal and influenza vaccines along with their attitudes and behaviours regarding immunisation. Materials and Methods: The questionnaire prepared by the researcher was administered to the elderly residents aged 65 years and above who could perform their own self-care in the blocks designated for healthy residents at the Narlidere Nursing Home Elderly Care and Rehabilitation Center after obtaining their oral consent. Results: The average age of the 708 elderly residents who participated in the research was 79.05 +/- 7.32 years (range 62-98), and 63% were female. Of the residents, 75.1% had heard about the pneumococcal vaccine, and 97.2% were aware of the influenza vaccine. Only 24.6% had been administered the pneumococcal vaccine, and 29.9% expressed that they did not receive it because their physician did not recommend it. A significant relation was found between having received the pneumococcal vaccine and age group (p = 0.046) and having received the pneumococcal vaccine and educational background (p = 0.025). Conclusion: Elderly people have more knowledge about influenza vaccine than pneumococcal vaccine. Their healthcare professionals mostly inform them about vaccinations. Therefore healthcare professionals should be trained about the pneumococcal vaccination procedures in elderly.