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The welfare state, the individual and the need for care: older people's views
Author(s) -
Gunnarsson Evy
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 1369-6866
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2397.2008.00610.x
Subject(s) - aside , welfare , independence (probability theory) , context (archaeology) , psychology , everyday life , qualitative research , quality of life (healthcare) , gerontology , welfare state , social psychology , nursing , public relations , medicine , sociology , political science , social science , biology , art , paleontology , statistics , literature , mathematics , politics , law
The aim of this qualitative study was to study how older people experience aging and reflect on their need for care in the Swedish welfare context. Sixteen people were interviewed, aged between 77 and 92 years. Staying healthy and independent in their everyday lives were prized values for the informants. Some brushed aside thoughts of being in need of home help services in the future and others had a more reflecting attitude. The informants did not want to burden either society or their children. Through mass media and the experiences of their neighbours, they had gained a negative impression of eldercare. They were uncertain if there would be any helping hand of good quality in the future. On the other hand, informants who already had home help thought that it was helping them to maintain independence in everyday life and they were also satisfied with the help they received.