Pengaruh Dukungan Sosial dalam Keperawatan Paliatif terhadap Fungsi Kognitif Lansia di PSTW Budi Luhur Kota Jambi

Elderly people are a vulnerable group experiencing declines in physical, psychological, and cognitive functions, which are often worsened by the lack of social support. Social support in palliative nursing plays an important role in improving the quality of life of the elderly, including maintaining cognitive function. This study aimed to analyze the effect of social support in palliative nursing on the cognitive function of the elderly at PSTW Budi Luhur, Jambi City. This study used a quantitative design with a pre-experimental approach through the one group pretest-posttest method. The research sample consisted of 30 elderly participants selected using a purposive sampling technique. The instruments used were a social support questionnaire and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) to measure cognitive function. Data analysis was conducted using the paired t-test. The results showed that before the intervention, most elderly participants experienced mild cognitive impairment (46.7%), while after the intervention there was an improvement, with most participants being in the normal category (50%). Statistical test results showed a p-value = 0.000 (<0.05), indicating that there was a significant effect of social support in palliative nursing on the cognitive function of the elderly. The conclusion of this study is that social support in palliative nursing has a significant effect on improving the cognitive function of the elderly. Therefore, it is recommended that healthcare workers enhance social support-based interventions to improve the quality of life of the elderly.