In my master's thesis, I address the experience of moving to a care home from the perspective of elderly individuals and explore their needs and the challenges they face during this period. In the theoretical framework, I first present the period of old age and aging, and then describe the specific characteristics and needs typical of this stage of life. I continue with an overview of the social placement of aging and describe the care options for the elderly in Slovenia, with a focus on care homes. Finally, I focus on the process of moving to a care home and present some examples of good practices related to moving to a care home from different countries around the world. The main aim of the research presented in the empirical part was to explore the experiences of the elderly with the process of moving to a care home. I wanted to understand what their needs are (or have been) at different stages of the relocation, what challenges they encountered in this process, what helped them and what did not. I also aimed to determine how successfully the care home involved in the research responds to the needs of the elderly during the relocation process and which working strategies of the care home the elderly recognize as effective or wish to see changed. I used a qualitative research approach in this study.
The results indicate that the process of moving is an emotionally complex experience for the elderly, during which they face uncertainty, loneliness, loss of a sense of home, adjustment to a new way of life, and the search for their own identity. During this period, the need for personal relationships and the need for health and well-being are most pronounced. In facing the challenges of relocation, the two most important supportive factors are stable and loving relationships with loved ones and the availability of choices within institution. Prejudices and negative perceptions about life in a care home, as well as difficulties in adapting to a new environment or new roommates, make the move particularly challenging. Based on the findings, I conclude that in the future of long-term care, it would be sensible to enable elderly individuals to live in their home environment for as long as possible, and when moving to a care home, these facilities should aim to ensure autonomy, maintaining relationships with loved ones, and adapting care to the individual needs of the elderly.
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