Final published version
Licence: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Living well to the end
T2 - A phenomenological analysis of life in extra care housing
AU - Shaw, Rachel L
AU - West, Karen
AU - Hagger, Barbara
AU - Holland, Carol A
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - OBJECTIVES: To understand older adults' experiences of moving into extra care housing which offers enrichment activities alongside social and healthcare support.DESIGN: A longitudinal study was conducted which adopted a phenomenological approach to data generation and analysis.METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the first 18 months of living in extra care housing. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used because its commitment to idiography enabled an in-depth analysis of the subjective lived experience of moving into extra care housing. Themes generated inductively were examined against an existential-phenomenological theory of well-being.RESULTS: Learning to live in an extra care community showed negotiating new relationships was not straightforward; maintaining friendships outside the community became more difficult as capacity declined. In springboard for opportunity/confinement, living in extra care provided new opportunities for social engagement and a restored sense of self. Over time horizons began to shrink as incapacities grew. Seeking care illustrated reticence to seek care, due to embarrassment and a sense of duty to one's partner. Becoming aged presented an ontological challenge. Nevertheless, some showed a readiness for death, a sense of homecoming.CONCLUSIONS: An authentic later life was possible but residents required emotional and social support to live through the transition and challenges of becoming aged. Enhancement activities boosted residents' quality of life but the range of activities could be extended to cater better for quieter, smaller scale events within the community; volunteer activity facilitators could be used here. Peer mentoring may help build new relationships and opportunities for interactive stimulation. Acknowledging the importance of feeling-empathic imagination-in caregiving may help staff and residents relate better to each other, thus helping individuals to become ontologically secure and live well to the end.
AB - OBJECTIVES: To understand older adults' experiences of moving into extra care housing which offers enrichment activities alongside social and healthcare support.DESIGN: A longitudinal study was conducted which adopted a phenomenological approach to data generation and analysis.METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the first 18 months of living in extra care housing. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used because its commitment to idiography enabled an in-depth analysis of the subjective lived experience of moving into extra care housing. Themes generated inductively were examined against an existential-phenomenological theory of well-being.RESULTS: Learning to live in an extra care community showed negotiating new relationships was not straightforward; maintaining friendships outside the community became more difficult as capacity declined. In springboard for opportunity/confinement, living in extra care provided new opportunities for social engagement and a restored sense of self. Over time horizons began to shrink as incapacities grew. Seeking care illustrated reticence to seek care, due to embarrassment and a sense of duty to one's partner. Becoming aged presented an ontological challenge. Nevertheless, some showed a readiness for death, a sense of homecoming.CONCLUSIONS: An authentic later life was possible but residents required emotional and social support to live through the transition and challenges of becoming aged. Enhancement activities boosted residents' quality of life but the range of activities could be extended to cater better for quieter, smaller scale events within the community; volunteer activity facilitators could be used here. Peer mentoring may help build new relationships and opportunities for interactive stimulation. Acknowledging the importance of feeling-empathic imagination-in caregiving may help staff and residents relate better to each other, thus helping individuals to become ontologically secure and live well to the end.
KW - Adaptation, Psychological
KW - Aged
KW - Aged, 80 and over
KW - Aging
KW - Emotions
KW - Existentialism
KW - Female
KW - Friends
KW - Homes for the Aged
KW - Humans
KW - Interpersonal Relations
KW - Learning
KW - Longitudinal Studies
KW - Male
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Nursing Homes
KW - Qualitative Research
KW - Quality of Life
KW - Residence Characteristics
KW - Self Concept
KW - Social Support
KW - Journal Article
U2 - 10.3402/qhw.v11.31100
DO - 10.3402/qhw.v11.31100
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 27172516
VL - 11
JO - International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being
JF - International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being
SN - 1748-2623
IS - 1
M1 - 31100
ER -