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 -