The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the experience of home care for older widows who live alone in their own homes. In contrast to research focused on predicting home care use or analyzing caregivers~ experiences, the project is exemplary of a new approach to the study of home care.
The specific aims are: (a) to delineate phenomena and component phenomena of the experience of home care for older widows who live at home alone: (b) to delineate the intentions that reflect each women~s unique experience of home care; ~ to identify changes in each participants~ experience over time and to consider possible explanations for these changes, including life transitions and factors such as self-rated health, location of residence, and ethnic/racial identity; and (d) to consider to the possible influence of location of residence upon the experience of home care by comparing the experiences of rural and urban participants. Over a three-year period, 7 taped-recorded interviews will be conducted in the home of each of 24 widows over the age of 80, who meet inclusion criteria for duration of widowhood, continuing residence in their own homes since the husband~s death, number of adult children, mental competence, and self-rated health. Interview and observational data will be obtained concerning participants~ perceptions and acts relative to other persons~ involvement in their efforts to continue living alone at home. A phenomenological method will be used to delineate a taxonomy of the phenomena that are the structures of the participant~s experiences. Older widows~ experience of home care will be described using the taxonomy and data examples. The study is designed to reveal not only the common structures of the experience but (also) the uniqueness of each women~s experience and the heterogeneity of the participants~ experiences. From the results, empirically grounded middle-range theories will be generated to undergird individualized interventions for older widows who live alone. In view of demographic trends, the proposed research is both timely and important.
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