Dependency of elders in residential care homes: Preliminary findings from older women

Abstract

Background With an increasing number of elderly people entering residential care homes, attention is drawn to the nature and quality of care they receive. Previous work has identified some evidence of induced, inappropriate and unnecessary dependency of elderly residents, where care practices were largely performed by care staff without considering elders' mental/physical functioning, wishes, capabilities and competence.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on some preliminary work of eight Chinese elderly women's on 'what they defined as dependency' and 'what they perceived as circumstances, incidents and activities that created, maintained and prevented dependency' in residential care homes in Hong Kong. Elders were recruited from a Government-subvented and a private aged home and participated in in-depth interviews.

Results and Conclusion The results demonstrated that elderly people had no difficulty defining what dependency meant to them and were able to elicit experiences to demonstrate how dependency was created, maintained and prevented in residential care homes. Content analysis identified five categories: (1) Asking and letting others help, (2) Reactions to being dependent, (3) Reinforcing dependency, (4) Struggling to deal with increasing dependency, and (5) Adjusting to dependency. These categories highlighted issues that caution care staff to the importance of working in partnership with older people in negotiating and delivering care in residential care homes, which specifically considers their personal needs and circumstances, and thereby minimizing induced dependence as far as possible.