Improving communication for residents in aged care Hostels: a case study

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to investigate the factors that influence the quality and effectiveness of the communication that a resident experiences in a low care Hostel setting within a residential aged care facility, and the way that those factors interact. In particular, the study aimed to provide a rich description of the communication complexities and interactions for residents in a residential aged care facility by using the residents' own words, experiences, perceptions and interpretations. Previous research has focused on aged care facilities providing high-level health care and support. This research represents the first rigorous study that has attempted to understanding the important issue of effective communication in the context of a low-care residential facility for the aged – a facility in which the residents are still comparatively healthy and mentally acute. The study was guided by four key research questions: What is the context for communication in a low-care residential aged care facility? What factors impede effective communication from the resident's perspective in those facilities? What factors assist effective communication from the resident's perspective in those facilities? What model is most likely to maximize the quality of communication for residents in a low-care residential aged care facility? The research paradigm used to investigate these questions was case study research using a symbolic interactionist approach. Symbolic interaction is a type of interpretive ethnomethodology that focuses on the ways that people construct meaning in a context. The case for the study was a not-for-profit aged care residential facility in a semi-rural area of Queensland, Australia, and the research focused on the lived experiences of ten residents at the facility. The findings from the study suggest that the factors that most influence effective communication in a low-care residential facility for the aged are: the personalities and intentions of the staff members; what residents have in common with their friends; family and other residents; life-long relationships; religion; and face-to-face communication. Hindering communication appear to be: time and distance apart; staff who do not genuinely talk with and listen to residents; patronizing talk; and feelings of dependency. A conceptual model has been developed that diagrammatically illustrates how those factors interact to affect the quality of communication in the case study facility.