3.8 Article

Self-determination among frail older persons - a desirable goal older persons' conceptions of self-determination

Journal

QUALITY IN AGEING AND OLDER ADULTS
Volume 15, Issue 2, Pages 90-101

Publisher

EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.1108/QAOA-06-2013-0015

Keywords

Ageing; Decision-making in daily living; Frail older adults; Personal autonomy

Categories

Ask authors/readers for more resources

Purpose - Self-determination is governed by ethical and legal rights in western society. In spite of that, older people are still restricted by others in their decision-making processes. The purpose of this paper is to explore older persons' different conceptions of self-determination. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative phenomenographic interview study on frail older persons (n = 15). Findings - Three categories emerged, showing the variations of conception of self-determination as experienced by frail older people: first, self-determination changes throughout life; second, self-determination is being an agent in one's own life; and third, self-determination is conditional. In summary, while self-determination is changeable throughout life, and older persons want to be their own agents, and struggle to be that, certain conditions must be met to make it possible for them to be able to exercise self-determination. Practical implications - Suggestions for supporting and strengthening frail older persons' self-determination, and indirectly their well-being and health: to have a person-centered approach, treat them with dignity and respect and give them opportunities to influence and to feel involved; to improve their health literacy by, for example, supporting them with enough knowledge to be able to exercise self-determination; to make them feel safe and secure in relationships, such as with family and caregivers. Originality/value - This study explores frail older persons' own conceptions of self-determination to be able to gain knowledge of how professionals can support them so that they may experience self-determination in life.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

3.8
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available