Quality of long-term care for older people in residential settings – perceptions of quality of life and care satisfaction from residents and their family members

Abstract
Older people living in long-term care homes are exposed to diverse circumstances, which may be associated with loss of independence, social networks and life satisfaction. To help residents maintain their quality of life, it is important to understand stakeholder groups’ perceptions of care quality to drive quality improvement. The aim of this research was to explore long-term residents’ quality of life and family satisfaction with care provided. Descriptive and correlational analyses were used with secondary data collected from residents (N = 39) from two long-term care facilities with a resident-directed care approach. Residents completed a survey of quality of life and overall satisfaction measures, and their family members (N = 31) completed a survey on care satisfaction provided by the facilities. Residents reported being generally satisfied with their quality of life, satisfaction with their current living place and satisfaction with life as a whole. They considered dignity and relationships to be the most important elements to their quality of life. Family members also reported being fairly satisfied with services provided by the care homes, particularly within the context of staff-family relationships through constructive communication and welcoming environment. Residents and their family members’ perceptions can provide useful information for residential aged care providers to further improve their service quality. A number of practical considerations for nursing care staff to improve residents’ quality of life and staff-family relationships are presented.

Ngā ariā matua
He maha ngā āhuatanga ka tūponotia e ngā kaumātua i ngā kāinga noho wā roa, tētahi ko te kore e noho hei rangatira mō tōna ao, te memehatanga o ngā kāhui hoa, me te koa o te ngākau mō te noho i te ao nei. Hei āwhna i te hunga noho kia puritia te pai o te noho, he mea nui kia mārama ki ngā whakaaro o te hunga whai pānga mō te kounga o te taurima, hei whakapiki i te pai o te kounga. Te whāinga nui o tēnei rangahau he tūhura i te kounga o te noho me te koa, te kore rānei e koa o ngā whānau o aua kaumātua. I whakamahia he tātaritanga whakamārama, whakahāngai hoki i te taha o ngā raraunga tuarua i kohia ai i ngā kaumātua nei (N=39) mai i ētahi whare kaumātua e rua i whai i te tikanga taurima i te kaumatua ake. Ka whakakīa e ngā kaumātua tētahi tirohanga ki te kounga o te ora me tō rātou koa, kore rānei e koa, ā, ka whakakīa hoki e ō rātou whānau (N = 31) tētahi tirohanga ki te koa mō ngā mahi taurima i horaina ai e ngā whare nei. Ko te whakautu o te nuinga o ngā kaumātua i koa rātou mō te pai o tō rātou noho, tō rātou koa mō te wāhi noho me tō rātou koa whānui mō te noho i tēnei ao. Ko ngā mea e rua tino nui ki a rātou ko te mana tangata me ngā taura tangata ngā pou matua, hira rawa o te noho pai. I āhua koa anō hoki ngā whānau mō ngā ratonga i horaina i roto i ngā kāinga nei, otirā ko te mea nui ko te pai o te whakawhitiwhiti kōrero, te ao manaaki i te tangata peka atu. He mea nui ngā whakaaro o ngā kaumātua me ngā whakaaro o ō rātou whānau mō ngā kaiwhakahaere whare kaumātua e piki ai tō rātou kounga ki runga rawa. Tērā anō hoki te tini o ngā whakaaro ā-kiko hei aronga atu mā ngā kaimahi tapuhi e piki ai te kounga o te noho me ngā taura whakawhanaunga i waenga i ngā kaimahi me ngā whānau, e tāpaetia ana i tēnei pūrongo.

Key words / Ngā kupu matua
Resident-centred approach / Te whai i ngā tikanga taurima i te kaumātua i te tuatahi; ageing / te kaumatua haere;care homes / ngā whare kaumātua; quality of life/ te kounga o te noho; care satisfaction / te koa, te kore rānei e koamō te taurima