National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
J Clin Nurs. 2019 Feb;28(3-4):458-468. doi: 10.1111/jocn.14619. Epub 2018 Aug 13.
In societies with ageing populations, foreign domestic workers are essential to provide care for older people in the community. Despite an increasing trend of employing foreign domestic workers as live-in caregivers to older people, limited research has been done to understand their caregiving experiences and coping strategies.
To explore the caregiving experiences and coping strategies of foreign domestic workers caring for older people in Singapore.
Descriptive qualitative study.
This study was conducted in a large hospital in Singapore. Purposive sampling was used. Participants had to be able to converse in English and employed as foreign domestic workers to provide care to individuals aged 60 years and above, and needed assistance in at least one activity of daily living. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted until data saturation was achieved. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcribed data were analysed using thematic analysis.
We interviewed 11 participants. Their mean age was 35 years, and they provided caregiving for about 20 hours daily. Eleven subthemes were identified and were organised into four main themes. These themes were "Juggling with Caregiving and Additional Responsibilities," "Facing Challenges," "Coping strategies" and "Seeking support."
Findings showed that many foreign domestic workers lacked the needed physical rest and support for them to recharge, and they were stressed caring for older people with behavioural issues. The findings highlighted the need for more physical rest, social support and caregiver training on behavioural management for foreign domestic workers.
The findings could aid the understanding of the challenges and needs of foreign domestic workers and thereafter assist in development of relevant community nursing, social support and training on disruptive behavioural management for foreign domestic workers for them to effectively care for older people in the community.
在人口老龄化的社会中，外佣对于为社区中的老年人提供护理至关重要。尽管越来越多的趋势是雇佣外佣作为老年人的住家看护，但对于他们的护理经验和应对策略的研究有限。
探索在新加坡照顾老年人的外佣的护理经验和应对策略。
描述性定性研究。
本研究在新加坡的一家大医院进行。采用目的抽样法。参与者必须能够用英语交流，并受雇为外佣，为年龄在 60 岁及以上的个人提供护理，并且至少需要在一项日常生活活动中提供帮助。进行面对面的深入访谈，直到达到数据饱和。访谈进行录音，并逐字记录。使用主题分析对转录数据进行分析。
我们采访了 11 名参与者。他们的平均年龄为 35 岁，每天提供约 20 小时的护理。确定了 11 个子主题，并将其组织成四个主要主题。这些主题是“兼顾护理和其他职责”、“面临挑战”、“应对策略”和“寻求支持”。
研究结果表明，许多外佣缺乏必要的身体休息和支持来充电，并且在照顾有行为问题的老年人时感到压力很大。研究结果强调了为外佣提供更多身体休息、社会支持和行为管理护理培训的必要性。
研究结果可以帮助理解外佣的挑战和需求，从而协助制定相关社区护理、社会支持和行为管理培训计划，以便外佣能够有效地照顾社区中的老年人。
