%0 Journal Article
%T Useful lessons for the provision of services in long-term care facilities in South Korea: operators¡¯ experiences illuminate the phenomenon of working with the elderly in the field
%A Ah Rim Kim
%A Hae Young Woo
%A Lee Han Yi
%A Young Ran Tak
%J International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2019.1565238
%X ABSTRACT Purpose: The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of elderly long-term care facilities by focusing on insights provided by the operators of these facilities. Methods: In this phenomenological study, 10 participants who operated nursing home businesses were interviewed. Of the 10 participants, seven had graduated from a nursing programme and three had studied social welfare. Results: The experiences of facility operators could be organized into four themes: ¡°Starting as a facility operator¡±, ¡°Dream of an ideal long-term care facility¡±, ¡°Struggling desperately in practice¡±, and ¡°Obtaining hope by providing care¡±. These four themes were divided into 18 subthemes, constituting 96 meaningful statements. Conclusion: Despite the obvious gap between reality and ideals with regard to caring for residents, operators used a person-centred care strategy for the elderly at their facilities. Our findings indicate that, despite diverse barriers and hardships, participants were encouraged when they offered person-centred healthcare services for the elderly under their care, based on a philosophy of a holistic understanding of humans and respect for human life and dignity. Facility operators who are leaders in the practical field should be involved in the decision/policy-making process, to support health and well-being in the elderly in institutionalized settings
%U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17482631.2019.1565238