Older people’s experiences of acute hospitalisation: An investigation of how occupations are affected

Abstract

Few qualitative studies have investigated older people's experiences of hospital admission and none has done so from an occupational perspective. The purpose of this study was to examine older people's experience of acute hospitalisation. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants recruited from the Alfred hospital, Melbourne, Victoria. Data were analysed using Colaizzi's (1978) approach to phenomenological analysis. Five themes describing older people's experience of acute hospitalisation emerged from the analysis: (i) not part of 'normal life'; (ii) undesirable, but for the good of my health; (iii) understanding my condition and abilities; (iv) subject to approval; and (v) getting back into life. The importance of the individual's occupational narrative emerged as a central theme in understanding the older person's experience of acute hospitalisation. Occupational therapists have a unique contribution to make in encouraging meaningful occupation on hospital wards. Identifying the manner by which occupational therapists can most effectively implement the assessment of occupational performance in the acute care setting should constitute a research priority for future investigations.