Abstract
The strong driving forces for ageing in place demand sustainable solutions for the housing and care of older people and the health and safety of home- and health-care staff. The aim of the study was to elucidate staff experiences of providing home- and health-care to older people living in ordinary housing. This study was part of a larger project investigating the relation between home design and conditions for care in ordinary housing. The data were gathered through focus group interviews with staff in home- and health-care. Three main themes were found according to staff experiences of particular rooms’ sizes and proportions, spatial configurations, and aspects to consider when designing new housing. This study contributes important knowledge about essential features of the physical environment for staff providing home- and health-care for older people in their own homes and to aid the development of functionally sustainable housing to minimise injuries to staff.
Highlights
Residential health care for older people is increasing, and the phys ical environment has a significant impact on their health and safety and those of staff
Experiences of small problematic bathroom Home-care staff reported that small bathrooms were often problematic work environments
As aimed to be explored by the present study, the findings reveal staff experiences of challenges in performing home- and health-care for older people living in ordinary housing
Summary
Residential health care for older people is increasing, and the phys ical environment has a significant impact on their health and safety and those of staff. Long-term adaptability to changing living conditions is important, and the properties of the home are critical and decisive fac tors in the quality of future care. In 2016 almost one in five people in Sweden were over 65 years old (Statistics Sweden, 2020), and almost 400 000 people received care from the municipality (Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, 2020). By 2060, the ratio of people over 60 is expected to rise to one in four (Statistics Sweden, 2020). This will have a great impact on planning and economy in the municipal sector, which is most often responsible for home and health-care
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