Experiences in enabling elderly people for communion and solitude in a South African context
Hälsa och vårdvetenskapHealth and health scienceBeconling oldCommunionNurses' experiencesOld age homeSolitudeSouth africa
Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the care providers' experiences in
enabling communionship and solitude in daily living for elderly living in old
age homes in a South African context. Method: This study was done using a
qualitative analysing method, with empirical data obtained from nursing staff
of elderly. The study was phenomenological which aims at deepen the
understanding of human experiences as phenomenon. The data was collected by
using a groupinterview which included five informants from an old age home in
Pretoria. The analysis included two steps; Naive reading and structural
analysis in order to transform the individual elucidations into an abstract
which had no individual touch. Result: The most revealing findings of the
result were that the process of becoming old and moving into an old age home
is, experienced by nurses, including changes in the individual's life and
lifestyle. To cope with this rearrangement is a difficult task for both the old
people and their relatives and this is were the roll of the nurse comes forth
as a negotiator to guarantee an optimal situation for both parts. To be a nurse
in geriatric care puts your skills at test in enabling daily care for old
people which is suitable to the individuals' individual needs. Conclusions:
Experiences to meet and enabling individual needs for old people in there daily
living lies in the interest and is of worth for all personnel working with
elderly people. One should always remember that all individuals are different,
and unique in a subjective perspective. This is an important consideration in
order to enable holistic care for the individual as a phenomenon.