Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the perceived hopelessness and family support among elders
in long-term care hospitals. Methods: Participants were 226 elderly patients who were 65 years of age or over
residing in two long-term care hospitals located in G city and J area. A structured questionnaire was used for measurement
of levels of hopelessness and family support. Data were collected from February 1 to March 31, 2013.
Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and
stepwise multiple regression analysis with the IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0 version program. Results: The mean
score for hopelessness was 3.41, and the score for family support was 3.04. Family support, economic status,
and period of hospitalization accounted for 24% of the variance in hopelessness. Conclusion: The findings indicate
that family support and short-stay hospitalization are needed to decrease hopelessness in elderly people requiring
long-term care. Individual intervention programs towards improvement in family support and shorter periods of
hospitalization should be considered to decrease hopelessness.