Van Aerschot Lina, Kadi Selma, Rodrigues Ricardo, Hrast Maša Filipovič, Hlebec Valentina, Aaltonen Mari
Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, FI-40014, Finland.
European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, Berggasse 17, Vienna 1090, Austria.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2022 Jul-Aug;101:104672. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2022.104672. Epub 2022 Mar 4.
Unmet care needs are usually defined in terms of receiving sufficient help in instrumental activities and activities of daily living. Research on unmet needs is mostly based on quantitative data. Older persons' and informal carers' views and experiences have received less attention.
In this paper, we rely on a definition of unmet needs which includes both unmet needs due to insufficient care and those situations where informal carers experience undue strain. Using theory-driven content analysis, we examine community-dwelling older adults' and their informal carers' experiences of unmet needs: what kind of unmet needs they have, why and in which ways these needs are left unmet and what would they want to do to improve the situation. The data consists of interviews gathered in Austria, Finland and Slovenia.
Results of the analysis reveal that unmet needs are largely psychosocial in nature. The predominating task-oriented care systems often do not consider these as care needs. Using methods of qualitative content analysis, we conclude that care users' unmet psychosocial needs are related to lacking a personal relationship with care workers; means to maintain or develop social contacts and pursue activities and interests; and adequate home care services or respite care. Excessive responsibilities are put on informal carers as they top up and fill in the insufficient care.
This study contributes to a broader understanding of unmet care needs: the relational aspects of care and the universal nature of psychosocial care needs should be addressed in care services.
未满足的护理需求通常根据在工具性活动和日常生活活动中是否获得足够帮助来定义。对未满足需求的研究大多基于定量数据。老年人和非正式护理人员的观点及经历受到的关注较少。
在本文中，我们依据一种未满足需求的定义，该定义既包括因护理不足导致的未满足需求，也包括非正式护理人员经历过度压力的情况。运用理论驱动的内容分析法，我们考察了社区居住老年人及其非正式护理人员未满足需求的经历：他们有哪些未满足的需求、原因何在、这些需求为何未得到满足，以及他们希望采取什么措施来改善这种状况。数据由在奥地利、芬兰和斯洛文尼亚收集的访谈组成。
分析结果显示，未满足的需求在很大程度上具有心理社会性质。占主导地位的以任务为导向的护理系统往往不将这些视为护理需求。通过定性内容分析方法，我们得出结论，护理使用者未满足的心理社会需求与缺乏与护理人员的个人关系、维持或发展社会联系以及追求活动和兴趣的手段、充足的家庭护理服务或临时护理有关。由于非正式护理人员要补充和填补不足的护理，他们承担了过多责任。
本研究有助于更广泛地理解未满足的护理需求：护理服务应关注护理的关系层面以及心理社会护理需求的普遍性。
