In my master's thesis, I compared elderly care in a nursing home with home care. In the theoretical part, I first presented the essence of quality aging, then I continued with the needs that an elderly person has. The following chapters cover social networks amongst the elderly, their health, leisure activities, and hardship. This was followed by the definition of long-term care, including innovations in long-term care in our country and abroad. Next, I presented institutional care together with home care, the financial aspect of both, and concluded with the autonomy of the elderly and the role of social work in long-term care. I conducted a qualitative research study in which I interviewed five residents of a nursing home and six users of home care. The interview explored several dimensions: their satisfaction with the care they are receiving, the extent and manner in which they express their autonomy, satisfaction with health services, how they spend their free time, who are their main social networks, whether they feel any fear or see any risks related to the care they are receiving, what are the main shortcomings and advantages of the care they are receiving, the financial aspect of care, and overall satisfaction with life in old age. The results showed that both groups are generally satisfied with the care they are receiving. However, shared dissatisfaction was related to poor food quality. Some users of home care would also need more extensive care, but it is unattainable due to lack of finances and staff, leading to a reliance on informal care, particularly on weekends. Both groups express autonomy in similar ways, with nursing home residents feeling somewhat less heard compared to users of home care. They spend their free time in similar ways, with the difference that nursing home residents also engage in group activities. The social networks of both groups are similar, apart from home residents, who more often socialize with people of similar generations. The main fear of home care users is the prospect of moving into a nursing home, whereas nursing home residents fear rising care costs. Nursing home residents see the main disadvantage of institutional living in adapting to the home's way of living, whereas home care users see the lack of care on weekends and limited access to a doctor as the main disadvantage. Both groups emphasized financial strain, noting that little money is left at the end of each month after covering care expenses. Despite their challenges, all participants expressed satisfaction with their current lives and would not prefer a different type of care. I suggest focusing on developing alternative forms of care, providing greater support for informal care and establishing a mobile medical service for users of home care. For further research, I suggest including long-term care employees and informal caregivers to gain greater insight into significant shortcomings and opportunities for improvement in long-term care.
|
