Older people moving to residential care in Aotearoa New Zealand: Considerations for social work at practice and policy levels

Authors

  • Delia Margaret McKenna University of Auckland
  • Barbara Staniforth University of Auckland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol29iss1id215

Keywords:

Key words, Assisted living facilities, hospitalisation, social work, transitioning

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: This exploratory study, undertaken in 2013, sought to examine how older people, living in Auckland New Zealand who did not have family living locally, experienced the move from living at home, through a hospital admission to living in residential care.

METHOD: Nine qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants while in hospital and following discharge to a residential care facility.  Data were analysed thematically.

RESULTS: For most, this move was a major, traumatic event in their lives. Participants identified both hindering and supportive factors through this process.

CONCLUSION: The process of transition from hospital is helped by older people being involved in decision making, and having adequate time and prior information. An assisted living facility that enables autonomy, has flexibility, and services in place to meet on-going physical and psycho-social needs supports the settling-in process. Continuity of social work interventions, advocacy and reviews of policy may also be useful. 

References

Age Concern New Zealand. (2008). Elder Abuse—A qualitative study of neglect cases referred to Age Concern Elder Abuse and Neglect Services during the period 1 July to 30 June 2006. Wellington. NZ: Author. Retrieved from http://www.ageconcern.org.nz/sites/ageconcern/files/This%20Month%20-%20November%20%202013_0.pdf

Age Concern New Zealand. (2013). Age Concern’s recommendations to Government. Wellington, NZ: Author. Retrieved from http://www.ageconcern.org.nz/sites/ageconcern/files/This%20Month%20-%20November%20%202013_0.pdf.

Atkinson, A., Tilse, C., & Schlecht, N. (2000). Moving to a hostel: The perceptions of older people who move from hospital to hostel (“low level”) care. Australian Social Work. March, 53(1), 9–13. doi:10.1080/03124070008415551

Attig, T. (2004). Disenfranchised grief revisited: Discounting hope and love. Omega, 49(3), 197–215. doi:10.2190/P4TT-J3BF-KFDR-5JB1

Barba, B. E.,Tesh, A. S., & Courts, N. F. (2002). Promoting thriving in nursing homes: The Eden Alternative. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 28(3), 7–13.

Barrett, C. B. (2008). My people. A project exploring the experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex seniors in aged-care services. Victoria: Matrix Guild. Retrieved from http://www.matrixguildvic.org.au

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2003). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 2, 77–101.

Brownie, S., & Horstmanshof, L. (2012). Creating the conditions for self-fulfilment for aged care residents. Nursing Ethics, 19, 777–786. doi:10.1177/0969733011423292

Cooney, A. (2011). “Finding home”: A grounded theory on how older people “find home” in long-term care settings. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 7, 188–199. doi:10.1111/j.1748-3743.2011.00278.x

Crimes Amendment Act No. 3. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2011/0079/latest/whole.html

Currer, C. (2007). Loss and social work. Exeter, England: Learning Matters.

Doka, K. (2002). Disenfranchised grief: New directions, challenges, and strategies for practice. Champaign, IL: Research Press.

Help Age International. (2012). Ageing in the twenty-first century. A celebration and a challenge. London, England: Author. Retrieved from https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Ageing%20report.pdf

Henderson, J., Xiao, L., Siegloff, L., Kelton, M., & Paterson, J. (2008). Older people have lived their lives: First year nursing students’ attitude towards older people. Contemporary Nurse: a Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 30(1), 32–45.

Jorgensen, D. M. (2006). Factors influencing entry to residential care among older people (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Auckland. Auckland, NZ. Retrieved from http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/

Kane, R., Priester, R., & Neumann, D. (2007). Does disparity in the way disabled older adults are treated imply ageism? The Gerontologist, 47(3), 271–279. doi:10.1093/geront/47.3.271

Koenig, T., Hee Lee, J., Feilds, N., & MacMillan, K. (2011). The role of the gerontological social worker in assisted living. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 54(5), 494–510. doi:10.1080/01634372.2011.576424

Koenig, T., Hee Hee, J., MacMillan, K. R., Fields, N. L., & Spano, R. (2013). Older adult and family member perspectives of the decision-making process involved in moving to assisted living. Qualitative Social Work, 13(3), 335–350. doi:10.1177/1473325013475468

Link, B., & Phelan, J. C. (2001). Conceptualising stigma. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 363–385. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.363

Marshall, E., & MacKenzie, L. (2008). Adjustment to residential care: The experience of newly admitted residents to hostel accommodation in Australia. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 55(2), 123–132. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1630.2007.00687.x

Minchiello, M. V., Somerville, M., McConaghy, C., McParlane, J., & Scott, A. (2005). The challenges of ageism. In V. Minichiello & L. Coulson (Eds.), Contemporary issues in gerontology: Promoting positive ageing (pp. 1–33). Crow’s Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Ministry of Health. (2001). The New Zealand health of older people strategy. Wellington, NZ: Author.

Ministry of Social Development. (2001). The New Zealand positive aging strategy: Towards a society for all ages. Wellington, NZ: Author.

Peterson, D. (2007). Reviewing self-stigma literature: What Debbie Peterson discovered, Like Minds Whakaitia Te Whakawhiu I Te Tangata, April/May, 29, 6. Retrieved from http://d20wqiibvy9b23.cloudfront.net/resources/resources/000/000/634/original/Like_Minds__Like_Mine_-_Internalised_Stigma.pdf?1468379908

Regehr, C., & Sussman, T. (2004). Intersections between grief and trauma: Toward an empirically based model for treating traumatic grief. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 4, 289–309. doi:10.1093/brief-treatment/mhh025

Thein, N., D’Souza, G., & Sheehan, B. (2011). Expectations and experience of moving to a care home: Perceptions of older people with dementia. Dementia, 10(1), 7–18. doi:10.1177/1471301210392971

Thornton, G. (2012). Aged residential care service review. Wellington, NZ: Thornton New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.grantthornton.co.nz/assets/documents/home/aged-residential-care-service-review.pdf

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Help Age International. (2012). Ageing in the twenty-first century: A celebration and a challenge. New York, NY: Author. Retrieved from http//www.unfpa.org/public/home/

publications/pid/11584

Downloads

Published

2017-03-31

How to Cite

McKenna, D. M., & Staniforth, B. (2017). Older people moving to residential care in Aotearoa New Zealand: Considerations for social work at practice and policy levels. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 29(1), 28–40. https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol29iss1id215

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 1 (2017)

Section

Original Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

By completing the online submission process, you confirm you accept this agreement. The following is the entire agreement between you and the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) and it may be modified only in writing.

You and any co-authors

If you are completing this agreement on behalf of co-authors, you confirm that you are acting on their behalf with their knowledge.

First publication

By submitting the work you are:

  1. granting the ANZASW the right of first publication of this work;
  2. confirming that the work is original; and
  3. confirming that the work has not been published in any other form.

Once published, you are free to use the final, accepted version in any way, as outlined below under Copyright.

Copyright

You assign copyright in the final, accepted version of your article to the ANZASW. You and any co-authors of the article retain the right to be identified as authors of the work.

The ANZASW will publish the final, accepted manuscript under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This licence allows anyone – including you – to share, copy, distribute, transmit, adapt and make commercial use of the work without needing additional permission, provided appropriate attribution is made to the original author or source.

A human-readable summary of the licence is available from http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, which includes a link to the full licence text.

Under this licence you can use the final, published version of the article freely – such as depositing a copy in your institutional research repository, uploading a copy to your profile on an academic networking site or including it in a different publication, such as a collection of articles on a topic or in conference proceedings – provided that original publication in Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work is acknowledged.

This agreement has no effect on any pre-publication versions or elements, which remain entirely yours, and to which we claim no right.

Reviewers hold copyright in their own comments and should not be further copied in any way without their permission.

The copyright of others

If your article includes the copyright material of others (e.g. graphs, diagrams etc.), you confirm that your use either:

  1. falls within the limits of fair dealing for the purposes of criticism and review or fair use; OR
  2. that you have gained permission from the rights holder for publication in an open access journal.