THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL EXCLUSION, LOW HEDONISTIC EATING HABITS, AND DELIRIUM İN ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS

Delirium in older adults can be shaped by their experiences of social isolation and a reduction in pleasure-oriented eating habits. When elderly individuals become disconnected from their social environment, this separation can trigger both psychological and biological changes that influence their overall well-being. The aging process entails multidimensional changes in individuals’ biological, psychological, and social functioning. The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between levels of delirium and social exclusion and hedonic eating behaviors among individuals aged 65 years and older. In line with its cross-sectional design, the study avoids causal inferences and addresses the relationships between variables within a descriptive and correlational framework. This study aims to explore how strongly social isolation and reduced pleasure-driven eating behaviors relate to the development of delirium in elderly individuals living in institutional care settings. This descriptive research was carried out in In 2025 Erzincan and involved older individuals living in the 100th Year Atatürk Nursing Home, the Refahiye Elderly Care Center, and the Kemah Nursing Home. Information was gathered through an elderly demographic form along with the Social Exclusion Scale, the Low Hedonistic Eating Habits Scale, and the Delirium Scale. The dataset was analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as independent samples t-tests, ANOVA, correlation analyses, and regression procedures. In this study, a convenience sampling method was employed.