Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
University of Birmingham Dubai, Dubai International Academic City, PO Box 341799, United Arab Emirates.
BMC Geriatr. 2023 Sep 25;23(1):593. doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-04296-0.
Hearing loss and dementia are highly prevalent conditions amongst older adults living in residential care. The consequences of living with these conditions may include social withdrawal and reduced communication opportunities. We sought to examine patterns of communication and interaction in residential care and explore resident, staff, and relative perspectives within two care homes located in Birmingham, UK. This enabled an understanding of how communication environments contributed to social isolation.
This work used ethnography methodology to explore mechanisms that created and maintained social isolation in older adults living with dementia and hearing loss. A planning and engagement phase took place in four care homes. This was followed by an environmental audit, observations, and interviews. Data generated were analysed using Grounded Theory methods.
There were 33 participants (16 residents, 11 care staff, and six relatives) who took part in the observations and interviews. Residents experienced social isolation through lack of meaningful conversation with others and being misunderstood. Additionally, observations of residents' interactions informed the overall findings. A Grounded Theory model was employed to explain the core phenomenon of social isolation. The main contributors were internal and external barriers to communication, and reduced opportunities for meaningful conversation.
There is a wide range of social isolation that care home residents experience. This was not always associated with the severity of hearing loss but rather communication ability. Simple interventions such as staff dining with residents and focussing on improving communication could reduce social isolation within residential care settings.
听力损失和痴呆症在居住在养老院的老年人中非常普遍。患有这些疾病的后果可能包括社交退缩和减少交流机会。我们试图在位于英国伯明翰的两家养老院中检查养老院中的交流和互动模式，并探讨居民、工作人员和家属的观点。这使我们能够了解沟通环境如何导致社交孤立。
这项工作使用民族志方法来探讨在患有痴呆症和听力损失的老年人中产生和维持社交孤立的机制。在四家养老院中进行了规划和参与阶段。随后进行了环境审计、观察和访谈。使用扎根理论方法分析生成的数据。
共有 33 名参与者（16 名居民、11 名护理人员和 6 名亲属）参与了观察和访谈。居民由于与他人缺乏有意义的对话和被误解而感到社交孤立。此外，对居民互动的观察为总体发现提供了信息。采用扎根理论模型来解释社交孤立的核心现象。主要贡献者是沟通的内部和外部障碍，以及有意义的对话机会减少。
养老院居民经历了广泛的社交孤立。这并不总是与听力损失的严重程度有关，而是与沟通能力有关。简单的干预措施，如员工与居民一起用餐和专注于改善沟通，可减少养老院中的社交孤立。
