Living well to the end: A phenomenological analysis of life in extra care housing.
OBJECTIVES
To understand older adults' experiences of moving into extra care housing which offers enrichment activities alongside social and healthcare support.


DESIGN
A longitudinal study was conducted which adopted a phenomenological approach to data generation and analysis.


METHODS
Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the first 18 months of living in extra care housing. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used because its commitment to idiography enabled an in-depth analysis of the subjective lived experience of moving into extra care housing. Themes generated inductively were examined against an existential-phenomenological theory of well-being.


RESULTS
Learning to live in an extra care community showed negotiating new relationships was not straightforward; maintaining friendships outside the community became more difficult as capacity declined. In springboard for opportunity/confinement, living in extra care provided new opportunities for social engagement and a restored sense of self. Over time horizons began to shrink as incapacities grew. Seeking care illustrated reticence to seek care, due to embarrassment and a sense of duty to one's partner. Becoming aged presented an ontological challenge. Nevertheless, some showed a readiness for death, a sense of homecoming.


CONCLUSIONS
An authentic later life was possible but residents required emotional and social support to live through the transition and challenges of becoming aged. Enhancement activities boosted residents' quality of life but the range of activities could be extended to cater better for quieter, smaller scale events within the community; volunteer activity facilitators could be used here. Peer mentoring may help build new relationships and opportunities for interactive stimulation. Acknowledging the importance of feeling-empathic imagination-in caregiving may help staff and residents relate better to each other, thus helping individuals to become ontologically secure and live well to the end.
['Shaw|Rachel L|RL|', 'West|Karen|K|', 'Hagger|Barbara|B|', 'Holland|Carol A|CA|']
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D000375:Aging D004644:Emotions D005086:Existentialism D005260:Female D033062:Friends D006707:Homes for the Aged D006801:Humans D007398:Interpersonal Relations D007858:Learning D008137:Longitudinal Studies D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D009735:Nursing Homes D036301:Qualitative Research D011788:Quality of Life D012111:Residence Characteristics D012649:Self Concept D012944:Social Support
phenomenology extra care housing well-being Ageing lifeworld-led care qualitative research