Home Help Service Staffs' Descriptions of Their Role in Promoting Everyday Activities Among Older People in Sweden Who Are Dependent on Formal Care. (August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cederbom, Sara; Thunborg, Charlotta; Denison, Eva; Söderlund, Anne; von Heideken Wågert, Petra
• Is Part Of: Journal of applied gerontology. Volume 36:Number 8(2017)
• Page Start: 971
• Page End: 992
• Publication Date: 2017-08
• Subjects: dependency -- independency -- home help service staff -- older people -- rehabilitation -- team -- quality of life -- focus group interviews -- qualitative study; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 362.6
• DOI: 10.1177/0733464815595511
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0733-4648

Abstract

The study aimed to explore how home help service staff described their role in improving the abilities of older people, in particular, older women with chronic pain who are dependent on formal care, to perform everyday activities. Three focus group interviews were conducted, and a qualitative inductive thematic content analysis was used. The analysis resulted in one theme: struggling to improve the care recipients' opportunities for independence but being inhibited by complex environmental factors . By encouraging the care recipients to perform everyday activities, the staff perceived themselves to both maintain and improve their care recipients' independence and quality of life. An important goal for society and health care professionals is to improve older people's abilities to "age in place" and to enable them to age independently while maintaining their quality of life. A key resource is home help service staff, and this resource should be utilized in the best possible way.