Attitudes and beliefs of Spanish families regarding their family members aged 75 years and over who live alone: a qualitative study

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the attitudes and beliefs of Spanish families regarding their elderly family members aged 75 years and over who live alone, with consideration of gender and educational differences among the family members.MethodsThis qualitative study was based on the critical social paradigm, the theory of constructivist structuralism and Bourdieu’s theory of sociology of action. Four discussion groups were created with the following distribution of family members based on their gender and educational level: women with higher education, women with basic or secondary education, men with higher education and men with basic or secondary education. Participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. Announcements inviting voluntary participation were posted at primary health care facilities, social centres and neighbourhood associations in Mallorca, Spain.ResultsAnalyses of the group discussions and a field journal revealed that families believe that elderly individuals prefer to live alone to retain their freedom and individual identities.ConclusionsFamilies held two main views regarding elderly individuals living alone: a more traditional one in which elderly care is considered a moral duty associated with women, and a more modern view in which elderly care is considered a personal option that can be delegated. Sociomedical resources were considered insufficient and not easily accessible.

Introduction to Rivera’s Gender Affirming Nursing Care Model: A Middle-Range Theory

“…the art of nursing practice) to meet the patient's needs. Positive nurse-patient relationships are a foundational component of therapeutic care serving to support informed decision making and subsequent high-quality health outcomes (Molina-Mula et al, 2019).…”

“…This evidence is consistent with previous theory literature on relationship building and caring such as Theory of Nursing as Caring (Boykin & Schoenhofer, 1993), Theory of Cultural Care (Leininger, 1988), and Theory of Human Caring (Watson, 2012). While many researchers have explored the impact of the nurse-patient relationship on patient and nurses’ outcomes (Davison & Cooke, 2015; Fahlberg et al, 2016; Molina-Mula et al, 2019) none have attempted to evaluate the impact of holistic gender affirming nursing care.…”

“…Relationships. Numerous studies have identified the positive impact of the nurse-patient relationship on patient outcomes (Davison & Cooke, 2015;Fahlberg et al, 2016) and the ability to enhance patient autonomy and meaningful engagement (Molina-Mula et al, 2019). Nursing attitudes, cultural humility and resulting patient interactions greatly influence patient engagement in shared healthcare decision making (Fahlberg et al, 2016;Foronda et al, 2016;Masters et al, 2019).…”

O Envelhecimento Ativo E a Promoção Da Saúde

“…Social life contributes to the exercise of citizenship, the valorization and insertion of the elderly in the social environment as safe and appropriate environments for the elderly. 3,66 Studies carried out in Brazil have shown that factors such as advanced age over 80 years, visual impairment, low cognitive status, slow gait, and not having family life are associated with a greater chance of non-active aging and social disengagement. Difficulties in evaluating active aging were also presented with several countries researching the subject, but so far, despite the use of instruments already validated with other variables centered on quality of life, not all determinants of active aging proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) have been postulated.…”