Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG, Austrian Public Health Institute), Vienna, Austria.
Department of Nursing Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
BMC Geriatr. 2019 Aug 13;19(1):219. doi: 10.1186/s12877-019-1243-7.
A growing number of older people, mainly women, live in single households. They represent a vulnerable group as staying at home may turn out challenging when care needs increase, particularly at the end of life. Non-kin-carers can play an essential role in supporting individuals' preferences to stay at home. In research little attention has been paid to non-kin-carers, such as friends and neighbors, yet. Thus, the Older People Living Alone (OPLA) study will evaluate whether non-kin support is robust enough to enable care dependent people to stay at home even at the end of life. This paper aims to introduce the research protocol.
We plan to apply a qualitative longitudinal study to better understand how older people living alone and their non-kin-carers manage to face the challenges with increased care needs towards the end-of-life. We will conduct serial interviews with the older persons living alone and their non-kin-carers. A total of 20-25 complete data sets and up to 200 personal interviews were planned. These will be complemented by regular telephone contacts. All interviews will be analysed following the grounded theory approach and strategies for reconstructing case trajectories, supported by MAXQDA software. In the course of the study, inter- and transdisciplinary workshops shall assure quality and support knowledge transfer.
This study protocol aims to guide research in a field that is difficult to approach, with regard to its topic, methodology and the interdisciplinary approach. As this study introduces longitudinal qualitative research methodology in the field of home care in Austria, a deeper understanding of (end-of-life-) care trajectories will be enhanced, which is of major relevance for future care planning. With investment in additional reflexivity and communication procedures innovative results and robust knowledge are expected outcomes.
越来越多的老年人，主要是女性，独自生活。当他们的护理需求增加时，尤其是在生命的末期，他们作为一个弱势群体，独自在家可能会面临挑战。非亲属照顾者在支持个人居家的意愿方面可以发挥重要作用。在研究中，对非亲属照顾者（如朋友和邻居）的关注较少。因此，“独居老年人”（OPLA）研究将评估非亲属支持是否足够强大，以使依赖护理的人即使在生命的末期也能留在家里。本文旨在介绍研究方案。
我们计划采用定性纵向研究，以更好地了解独居老年人及其非亲属照顾者如何应对护理需求增加的挑战，以接近生命的末期。我们将对独居老年人及其非亲属照顾者进行系列访谈。计划总共进行 20-25 次完整的数据集访谈和多达 200 次个人访谈，并辅以定期电话联系。所有访谈都将按照扎根理论的方法进行分析，并利用 MAXQDA 软件支持的案例轨迹重构策略进行分析。在研究过程中，跨学科研讨会将确保质量并支持知识转移。
本研究方案旨在指导一个难以触及的领域的研究，涉及主题、方法和跨学科方法。由于本研究在奥地利家庭护理领域引入了纵向定性研究方法，因此将更深入地了解（临终）护理轨迹，这对未来的护理计划具有重要意义。通过投资于额外的反思和沟通程序，预计将产生创新的结果和稳健的知识。
