Photovoice in aged care: What do residents value?

Abstract

Objectives This paper visually explores older aged care resident's day‐to‐day lived experience, as well as providing a brief introduction to the participatory documentary photography method of photovoice. Methods Ten residents from one Australian residential aged care facility collaborated with researchers and care staff to photograph, reflect on and share their lives. Photographs were shortlisted in individual and group discussions. Results Residents' photographs and narratives provide a visual understanding of what they value. Photographs captured three core themes: the restorative joy of nature (frangipanis); active engagement through leisure activities (football); and the value of social interactions and connections, especially with fellow residents and staff (friendship). Conclusions As old age and aged care remain virtually invisible within popular visual culture, this research highlights the communicative value of participatory photography for challenging stereotypes, as well as the opportunities, challenges and value of visual methods with this cohort.

The happiness initiative: Changing organizational culture to make ‘brilliance’ mainstream in aged care

“…This study is part of the larger multi-year Inside Aged Care project which explored and tracked the day-to-day lived experience of aged care in one Australian facility, from the perspective of potential and current residents, as well as their nominated family member and formal service provider (Donoghue, Miller, & Buys, 2017; Miller, Buys, & Donoghue, 2019). The research design was a semi-longitudinal single case study, with this one aged care facility as the unit of analysis.…”

“…Both interviews and the focus group began by asking participants generally about their work experiences and a typical work day, and then more specifically about their awareness, evaluation and experience of ‘ the happiness initiative ’, facilitators and barriers to delivering person-centred care, working atmosphere, work interactions (with colleagues, residents, senior management), organizational training and decision-making processes, sources of professional satisfaction and dissatisfaction, as any specific challenges they experienced as facilitators of this happiness initiative. Data also included field notes and observations made during interviews, various RAC events and a week of formal observations (over 40 h of observations), as well as photographs taken by staff and residents as part of the larger research project depicting ‘highlights and lowlights’ in aged care (for details on the photographic process, see Miller, Buys, & Donoghue, 2019).…”

Visual Arts-Based Research Methods in Social Science Research

“…The central aim is to get insight into people's lives, thoughts, experiences, emotions, and feelings (Leavy, 2018;van der Vaart et al, 2018). In the method of photo voice, for instance, participants are asked to make photos of their everyday activities, tasks and duties, hobbies, communities, and environments, and to provide an insight into their lives and experiences by showing the photos and talking about them (Budig et al, 2018;Miller, Buys, & Donoghue, 2019;Woda, Haglung, Belknap, & Cleek, 2018). Through drawing activities, in turn, participants are invited to express their feelings and experiences related to matters in their personal and social lives, and afterwards to comment on their drawings verbally (Mannay, 2010;Martikainen, 2018a).…”

‘All We Have to Decide Is What to Do with the Time That Is Given to Us’ a Photovoice Study on Physical Activity in Nursing Homes

“…Very few Photovoice studies explicitly took place in the context of nursing homes, and if so, they tended to focus on physical, psychological, and social characteristics that characterize the facility as 'home' [38], overall values identified as relevant by residents, such as joy of nature, leisure-time activities, and friendship [39], or on the process of conducting Photovoice and building a photonarrative [40].…”