Life in the round and aged care: A theoretical exemplar for research with marginalized populations in institutional settings

Abstract
The theory of life in the round is a useful theoretical framework for research aimed at gaining insight into information behaviours of populations in institutional settings such as health care assistants.  The theory originates from library and information sciences, drawing on social network theory and the model of information dissemination to explore the information behaviours of marginalised populations participating in small institutionalised worlds. Life in the round provides defining concepts that can be used to support an inquiry into the social norms of a small world that either restrict or liberate the information use and exchange on a daily basis.  The discussion includes the supporting theories of information poverty and normative behaviours that add additional detail and depth to concepts within the theory of life in the round. The context of residential aged care is used as an exemplar for the application of the theory of life in the round and provides examples to support application of these concepts to the information practices of health care assistants. Residential aged care is frequently depicted as a healthcare setting where a socially and economically marginalised workforce exists in an increasingly demanding and complex institutional setting. There is limited use of life in the round as a theoretical framework for research in institutional healthcare settings; residential aged care provides a suitable context to explicate the theoretical concepts.

Ngā ariā matua
He tauira whai tikanga te ariā o te noho i te ao whāiti, ā, ko tōna aronga nui he kimi mōhiotanga mō ngā whanonga mātauranga o ngā taupori i roto i ngā whare ōkawa pēnei i ngā kaiāwhina tiaki hauora. I takea mai te ariā i ngā pūtaiao whare pukapuka, mōhiotanga hoki, ā, ka tōia mai ngā ariā o te whatunga pāpori me te pāpori o te tohatoha mōhiotanga hei tūhura i ngā tikanga whakawhiti mōhiotanga o ngā taupori iti e whai wāhi nei ki ngā ao ōkawa moroiti. Tā te noho i te ao whāiti he whakarato ariā ka taea te whakamahi hei tautoko i tētahi uinga mō ngā āhuatanga māori i tētahi ao moroiti, e whakawhāiti ana, e whakawātea ana rānei i te whakamahi me te whakawhiti i te whakamōhiotanga ia rā. Ka uru ki te matapaki ngā ariā tautoko mō te rawakore mōhiotanga me ngā whanonga pū noa hei tāpiri i ētahi atu taipitopito, tirohanga hōhonu hoki ki ngā ariā i roto i te ariā o te noho i te ao whāiti. Ka whakamahia te tiaki kaumātua i ngā whare kaumātua hei tauira mō te hoatutanga o te ariā o te noho i tētahi ao whāiti, me te hoatu i ētahi tauira hei tautoko i te hoatutanga o ēnei ariā ki ngā tikanga whakamahi mōhiotanga o ngā kaitiaki hauora. He rite tonu te whakaahua i te tiaki kaumātua i ngā whare kaumātua hei horopaki e mahi nei tētahi kāhui kaimahi iti te utu, kaha hoki tōna kaupare ki te taha, i tētahi whare ōkawa matatini, he tini ngā utanga me ngā whakaritenga mō te hunga o roto. Kāore i te tino nui te whakamahi o te noho i te ao whāiti hei anga ariā mō te rangahau i roto i ngā horopaki whare hauora ōkawa; ko tā te tiaki kaumātua i ngā kāinga noho he hoatu horopaki tōtika hei tūhura mai i ngā tauira ariā.

Keywords / Ngā kupu matua
Health care assistants/ Ngā kaiāwhina tiaki hauora; information poverty/ te rawakore mōhiotanga; life in the round/ te noho i te ao whāiti/; residential aged care/ te tiaki kaumātua i ngā whare kaumātua; social norms/ ngā ritenga ā-pāpori