Feeling and expectationes of older adullts during their firet institutionalization in a nursing home

Abstract

Introduction: Argentina is one of the countries which presents one of the oldest populations in Latin America, which entails the increase in the demand of long term care for these individuals. From the perspective of nursing, this population group requires more and more nursing care. Contributing knowledge to understand the subjectivities of this group will allow adjusting and
improving the quality of the service provided to them. Objective: To inquire older adults about their feelings, expectations and adaptation during their institutionalization in a nursing home. Methodology: A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was carried out. Two semi-structured interviews were used; the first one included open-ended questions about the expectations of their stay at the nursing home and the second one, about their feelings experienced throughout the first ten days of institutionalization. The analysis of the information was carried out using grounded theory based on the constant comparative method and theoretical sampling. Results: The findings obtained about the interviewees’ perceptions on their institutionalization in the nursing home were organized in three dimensions. The first one is related to the reasons
for institutionalization, which is divided into two subcategories: The loss of autonomy and the absence of planning as part of their subjectivity. The second dimension is related to the older adults’ expectations on institutionalization, which is divided into two subcategories: The need for safety and protection and the need for spirituality. The last dimension is related to their feelings during the institutionalization, which is divided into two subcategories: Deculturation, sadness-depression, lack of privacy and resignation. Conclusions: The study sheds light on the vulnerability of the studied population since the reasons for their institutionalization in the nursing home are experienced as losses, their emotional predisposition displays negative feelings and their expectations show the need for protection and spiritual care. Due to the acceleration of population aging, the nursing field will have to strengthen its subject knowledge of senior care, understanding that this matter signifies fundamental support for the institutionalization processes of this population group. A group that required not only physical health care, but also emotional support and an intersubjective perspective so as to maintain a high quality of life based on rights during the last stage of the older adults’ lives.