A matter of participation? A critical incident study of municipal care personnel in situations involving care-dependent older persons and emergency medical services.

PURPOSE

This study aimed at describing municipal care personnel's experiences of and actions in situations when older persons need emergency medical services (EMS) at home.

METHODS

An inductive descriptive design adhering to critical incident technique (CIT) was used. Data were collected through interviews and free text written questionnaires, analysed in accordance with CIT procedure.

RESULTS

Experiences related to the main areas of and . Lifesaving competence involved having sufficient knowledge to guide older persons in emergencies without organizational support. The lack of care alternatives carries dependence on inter-organizational collaboration, as well as having to accept the collaborative conditions provided by the EMS. Actions meant , which involved safeguarding the person while being directed by the EMS.

CONCLUSIONS

Lack of organizational support, care alternatives, and structured collaboration jeopardize care-dependent older persons' health, and ability to influence care when emergency situations occur at home. Municipal care personnel's actions as the older person's representative support human agency, allowing older persons to become active participants in care despite acute suffering. This study underlines the importance of further developing welfare policies that facilitate and regulate inter-organizational responsibilities of health and social care to favour older people.