Abstract
Older people in Ireland and internationally, largely prefer continue living in their own homes and communities as they age. Ireland provides care in the home to older people to enable them to age in place. Little research has been undertaken to date in Ireland relating to the phenomenon of homecare. Both older people and homecare workers are considered hard to research groups. This study adopted a qualitative methodology with the aim of ascertaining the perspectives of both homecare workers and older people, regarding factors which impact the provision of homecare. Both focus groups and one to one interviews were undertaken to encapsulate the voices of both hard to reach groups and establish the fundamental issues they identified as significant. The data indicate that homecare workers are often meeting the social contact needs of older people, who are experiencing social isolation. Many older people in receipt of homecare live alone and have little social interaction aside from their homecare visit. This study found that older people place immense value on the relationship they have with their homecare worker and report the substantial positive impact their homecare has on their lives. Homecare workers often provide additional unpaid care to the older people they visit, in an effort to meet their social needs. Homecare is inadvertently addressing the isolation and subsequent loneliness experienced by older people in Ireland. This signifies an omission of existing effective policy and resources to address the social isolation of older people.
Presenters
Lhara MullinsLecturer, Health Promotion, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Homecare, Community Care, Isolation, Loneliness
