Skills, Knowledge, and Attitudes of Home Caregivers of the Elderly in General Santos City

Abstract

This study examined the skills, knowledge, and attitudes (SKA) of Filipino household caregivers providing home-based care to elderly individuals in selected cities in Region XII, Philippines. It aimed to identify caregivers’ strengths and gaps to inform the development of the KinCare brochure, a culturally appropriate educational resource.
A quantitative descriptive research design was employed, involving 145 caregivers selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering demographic profile and five domains of caregiving: functional status, physical health, cognitive function, social status, and spiritual condition. Descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were used to analyze the data.
The findings revealed that the majority of caregivers were aged 31–50 years, married, and part of nuclear families, with most belonging to low- to middle-income households. In terms of educational attainment, most respondents were college and high school graduates, indicating the capacity to understand structured educational materials. Financial support was primarily derived from pension and assistance from children.
In terms of SKA, caregivers demonstrated proficiency in functional status (9.90), physical health (8.64), and social status (8.90), indicating strong capability in performing daily caregiving tasks and maintaining interpersonal relationships. However, lower mean scores were observed in cognitive function (7.51) and spiritual condition (4.79), highlighting gaps in managing cognitive decline, dementia, and providing emotional and spiritual care.
The study concludes that while Filipino caregivers are competent in routine caregiving and are strongly influenced by cultural and familial values, they require additional support in more complex caregiving domains. These findings underscore the need for a practical, accessible, and culturally responsive educational intervention, such as the KinCare brochure, with emphasis on cognitive and spiritual care, low-cost strategies, and home-based applications.