Seniors’ experiences of living in specialhousing accommodation (SHA) : - Challenges for Scandinavian elderly care

• IntroductionIn Sweden, housing policies for seniors’ care, have generally focused on the development of assisted living and care standards (supply-based care), rather than on adapting the SHA to the requirements of the individual residents. This is despite the fact that the political discourse claims to offer care that is tailored to the individual’s needs (demand-based care). This poses some interesting questions. Specifically, 1) What is the seniors’ experience living in a SHA when the accommodation mandates are based on both supply-based care standards and on the institutional order or discourse, rather than the individual influence? 2) Can the SHA be viewed as a home where the person actually feels like being at home? 3) Is the perceived life at a SHA experienced as something more than a solution to care requirementsThis oral presentation is based on a hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of interview material in which 12 seniors living in Special Housing Accommodation (SHA) facilities reflect on the experience of living in such facilities. Of particular interest in the analysis is living in a SHA as a phenomenon.MethodThe data material was collected by face-to-face interviews (each participant had one interview) using an interview guide (Fontana & Frey, 1994), containing the question topics of (i) life situation now, (ii) experiences of dwelling, (iii) being at home, and (iv) life situation in the future.ResultsThe finding shows that the phenomenon of lived experience in a SHA seems to be a state of ambiguity regarding one’s existence, which is made up of several constituents (elements of meaning).The analysis contributes to the understanding of how the phenomenon of SHA living is coming into existence as a need, due to an individual’s failing health; however, the SHA is not considered to be a true homeConclusionThe seniors learn to cope with living in the SHA by lowering their expectations of life and existence while the SHA provides the prerequisites for their existence. An implication for promoting care is to support the seniors to enable a full existence of life within SHA living.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi -- Socialt arbete (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology -- Social Work (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Home; Experiences; Special housing accommodation; Scandinavian elderly care

Sociologi

Sociology

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)