Living and dying with frailty : Qualitative interviews with elderly people in the domestic environment

Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie
Katharina KlindtworthGabriele Müller-Mundt

Abstract

Frail older people are becoming an increasingly more important target group in healthcare provision. Little is known about patients' views on frailty and its various impacts, especially towards the end of life. This study was carried out to analyze the needs of frail elderly people at the end of life. A qualitative, longitudinal case study design was applied and included 31 frail older patients (≥ 70 year) with a Canadian study of health and aging (CSHA) clinical frailty scale (CFS) grade 6/7 from urban and rural areas within the region of Lower Saxony. The analysis was based on guided interviews and followed the principles of grounded theory. From the patients' perspective frailty is perceived as a process of increasing complexity of health problems, increased vulnerability and reduced ability to perform tasks. Frailty is experienced as various deficits including the physical, psychological, social and existential dimensions. Living and dying in a familiar environment and maintaining autonomy was identified as a core category. Key determinants were access to and quality of healthcare services as well as various individual and social resources. A palliative biopsychosocial care approach should be established early in the proces...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jun 4, 2016·BMC Palliative Care·Karin GeigerGabriele Müller-Mundt
Sep 19, 2018·Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie·Sandra KurkowskiKäte Volland-Schüssel

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