Living in a nursing home: a phenomenological study exploring residents’ loneliness and other feelings

Paque, Kristel; Bastiaens, Hilde; Bogaert, Peter Van; Dilles, Tinne

doi:10.1111/scs.12599

Cited by 81 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Given the initial interruptions imposed by EL forced the older adults to accept, reflect and re-define as functions of changes along the EL trajectory. Similar to cancer patients, dying individuals and bereaved persons [46][47], acceptance of EL did not mean giving up or passivity for both ethnic groups in our study. It did require that these older adults openly recognized and confronted their limitations and the dark side of the human condition of being existential lonely.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

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Overcoming existential loneliness: a cross cultural study

Chung

Olofsson

Wong

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Moving into a long-term care facility (LTCF) can alter the way older adults see themselves and reduce their ability to engage in meaningful experiences and roles. They experience a shrinkage in their social network when they move away from home, a reduction in the frequency of their social contacts and the number of people from whom they receive emotional support. These changes and losses can lead to feelings of loneliness. However, the loneliness these older adults experience may be more than having the difficulty with expressing the feelings of loneliness or the loss of social roles, as common examined in the loneliness literature. Rather, this loneliness stemmed from the intolerable emptiness and lack of meaningful existence attributed to all the losses they have experienced (i.e., existential loneliness (EL). The aim of this qualitative study was to describe the experience of EL in older adults from Eastern and Western cultures who were living in LTCFs and how they dealt with the experience. Methods: Open interviews were conducted with 13 Chinese and 9 Swedes living in the LTCF about the experience of EL. A qualitative study using Thorne’s (2004) interpretive description (ID) was conducted and data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: The core theme “overcoming EL’ captures the participants’ experience of EL. It describes a combined process of “feeling EL” and “self-regulating”. The study affirms that EL, was triggered as a common human condition in our study when the Chinese in Hong Kong, China and Swedes in Malmo, Sweden faced with life boundaries and crisis such as losses, frailty and mortality. Conclusions: EL is a very stress-inducing human phenomenon. Our study demonstrates that EL experience affects the fundamental structure of the ‘self’ unfolded by the experience of loss of control, isolation and meaningless in life. However, being EL allows the older adults of these two ethnics groups reaping the benefits that a ‘clearer’ sense of self provides, ranging from spirit of contentment to decreased distress. Thus, early and clear counselling support addressing the searching and meaning ascribed to EL should facilitate overcoming and better coping with the experience.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

“…In doing so, older adults tended to make sense and meaning of EL and were concerned with their overall well-being. Without this, the focus on "trapped" experience can leave the older adults question their meaning of life, as one counter to a normalization of "growing old" [47].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overcoming existential loneliness: a cross cultural study

Chung

Olofsson

Wong

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Feelings of loneliness leading to feelings of depression were common among residents in the present study (depression and/or anxiety was reported in 40.9% of the residents). The loss of care home residents’ self-determination due to institutionalisation was strongly related to loneliness and grief in a recent study [48]. Failure to find meaningful connections shows growing concerns about the critical rates of loneliness in residential care [49].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Approach to Reduce Sedentary Behaviour in Care Home Residents: The GET READY Study Utilising Service-Learning and Co-Creation

Giné-Garriga

Sandlund

Dall

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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The GET READY study aimed to integrate service-learning methodology into University degrees by offering students individual service opportunities with residential care homes, to co-create the best suited intervention to reduce the sedentary behaviour (SB) of residents throughout the day, with researchers, end-users, care staff, family members and policymakers. Eight workshops with care home residents and four workshops with care staff, relatives and policymakers, led by undergraduate students, were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed with inductive thematic analysis to understand views and preferences for sustainable strategies to reduce SB and increase movement of residents. Perspectives about SB and movement in care homes highlighted four subthemes. Assets for decreasing SB included three subthemes, and suggestions and strategies encapsulated four subthemes. There is a need to include end-users in decision making, and involve care staff and relatives in enhancing strategies to reduce SB among residents if we want sustainable changes in behaviour. A change in the culture at a policymaker and care staff’s level could provide opportunities to open care homes to the community with regular activities outside the care home premises, and offer household chores and opportunities to give residents a role in maintaining their home environment.

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“…Yet, there are two key limitations in the current understanding of EL. First, the idea that EL is a universal human experience was primarily based on studies of people from Western cultures [17,18]. It is unclear if people from Eastern cultures (e.g., Chinese) also experience EL.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overcoming existential loneliness: a cross-cultural study

et al. 2020

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Background Moving into a long-term care facility (LTCF) can reduce the ability for older adults to engage in meaningful roles and activities and the size of their social network. These changes and losses can lead them to experience existential loneliness (EL)—the intolerable emptiness and lack of meaningful existence resulted from the losses they have experienced. While EL has often been understood as a universal human experience, it has primarily been studied in people from Western cultures; little is known about how EL may be experienced by and manifested in people from Eastern cultures. Hence, this qualitative study aimed to describe the experience and coping of EL in Hong Kong Chinese and Swedish older adults living in LTCFs. Methods A qualitative study using Thorne’s (2004) interpretive description was conducted. Thirteen Chinese and 9 Swedes living in LTCFs in Hong Kong, China and Malmo, Sweden, respectively were interviewed about their experience of EL in two series of semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results The core theme of “overcoming EL” described the participants’ experience of EL, which came about through the combined process of “Feeling EL” and “Self-Regulating”. Both Chinese and Swedish participants had similar experience with EL. Realizing that they did not want to living with EL anymore, they coped by reframing their experience and identifying new meaning in their life. Conclusions The study findings suggested that early and clear counselling support that help older adults to define new meaning in life may help them cope. In addition, more opportunities should be available at the LTCFs to promote quality relationships, enable older adults to reflect on their lives with pride, and support their ability to do the things they enjoy.

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Living in a nursing home: a phenomenological study exploring residents’ loneliness and other feelings

Abstract: It is vital that healthcare professionals are aware of these feelings and pay much attention to resident preferences while developing (individualised) interventions to prevent loneliness.

Cited by 81 publications

References 29 publications

Overcoming existential loneliness: a cross cultural study

Overcoming existential loneliness: a cross cultural study

A Novel Approach to Reduce Sedentary Behaviour in Care Home Residents: The GET READY Study Utilising Service-Learning and Co-Creation

Overcoming existential loneliness: a cross-cultural study

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