Faculty of Caring Science, Work Life, and Social Welfare, Department of Caring Science, University of Borås, Borås, 501 90, Sweden.
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Birmingham City University, Westbourne Road, Birmingham, B15 3TN, UK.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2024 Aug 21;24(1):966. doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-11401-5.
In the evolving landscape of older person care, the imperative to explore holistic approaches persists, especially in regions with distinct societal norms around informal caregiving. The deeply ingrained tradition of familial caregiving, often led by female family members, has historically compensated for healthcare system gaps in less integrated systems. Hence, societal expectations may affect registered nurses' experiences and impact the quality of care for older persons. This study aims to describe the meaning of caring for older persons in care settings in Greece. Ten in-depth interviews with registered nurses in older person care settings underwent qualitative thematic analysis. Four themes emerged from the analysis: (i) Living and bonding with older people as a basis for caring, (ii) Caring as a double-faced fulfillment, (iii) A sense of insufficiency in the caring relationship, and (iv) The encounter of existential issues creating loneliness. This research provides insights into the meaning of caring for older persons, highlighting the experiences of the closest professional caregivers of older individuals. A specific capture of the entanglement of cultural norms, societal expectations, and their impact on professional caregivers' experiences may contribute to quality care provision in systems rooted in familial caregiving traditions.
在老年人护理的不断发展的领域中，探索整体方法的必要性仍然存在，特别是在那些非正式护理方面存在明显社会规范的地区。在那些医疗体系整合度较低的地区，长期以来，以女性家庭成员为主导的家庭式护理深深地根植于社会传统之中，在一定程度上弥补了医疗体系的空白。因此，社会期望可能会影响注册护士的体验，并影响对老年人的护理质量。本研究旨在描述希腊护理环境中照顾老年人的意义。对 10 名在老年人护理环境中工作的注册护士进行了深入的访谈，并进行了定性主题分析。分析中出现了四个主题：（i）与老年人一起生活和建立联系作为照顾的基础，（ii）照顾是一种双重满足，（iii）照顾关系中的不满足感，以及（iv）存在问题引发孤独感的相遇。这项研究深入了解了照顾老年人的意义，突出了最接近老年人的专业护理人员的经验。对文化规范、社会期望的交织以及它们对专业护理人员体验的影响的具体捕捉，可能有助于在根植于家庭护理传统的体系中提供优质的护理服务。
