Residents' expectations of need fulfilment on admission to St. Vincent de Paule residence and perceived/actual changes after residence

Abstract

This study is concerned with identifying the expectations of elderly residents in relation to their needs on admission to St. Vincent de Paule Residence. The study also identifies changes in these expectations which occur after a period of residence. The method which was adopted was that of conducting semi -structured interviews on the first day of admission at the 'Admission and Assessment Unit', and then following up the same people with another interview after three months of residence. An interview schedule based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs was developed to include issues particular to the needs of elderly in institutions. The findings revealed that expectations varied and changes were identified on most issues. The need for further research in relation to specific areas in the care of elderly people in an institution was indicated. The main limitation of this study is that the sample is not representative of the population at St. Vincent de Paule Residence.