Kontakt 2011, 13(2):129-137 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2011.017

Opinions of physicians and general nurses concerning advantages and drawbacks of taking care of seniors in home environmentNursing

Valérie Tóthová^*, Věra Veisová, Sylva Bártlová

Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra ošetřovatelství a porodní asistence

In the recent years, ever increased attention is being paid to worldwide trends of aging population, which is reflected in social, health as well as economic spheres. Seniors ever increase in number and thus, quite different requirements for services, which can they use including those in the field of healthcare, are quite different compared to the situation several tens of years ago. The contemporary care for this population exerts its failures and this is also one of many reasons why there are important discussions concerning the community care, where the healthcare and welfare professionals, and particularly community nurses, can completely use their potential and knowledge, thus filling gaps in taking care of healthy as well as diseased people. Targets, which should be achieved in European Union countries, are thus focused on improving the long-term care but also on reducing waiting periods or geographic differences in the availability and quality of the care depending on the system of a given country. The priority should be just providing specifically adjusted taking care of individuals in home environment, which of course assumes improvements in the coordination at different levels of healthcare and social services as well as financial sources with providing sufficient human sources in terms of the education of employees in the field of geriatrics. The contribution presented here is aimed at providing information on the condition of taking the community care of seniors in their home environment. It is focused on advantages and drawbacks of this type of taking the care in the viewpoint of nurses and physicians. The contribution is based on data accumulated within the scope of the solution of project No. NS/9608-3 "Incorporation of nurses into the community care of the healthcare system of the Czech Republic and comparison with the situation in EU countries", implemented under a support of the Internal Grant Agency of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic. Based on the data obtained and processed, it is possible to unambiguously decide that from the standpoint of both physicians and nurses, in the environment known to the senior, there is undoubtedly an advantage given by a better cooperation with his/her family, non-stressing environment and improved possibility to start contacting the senior. The main disadvantage in providing taking care of the senior in their home environment is the distance between the site of dwelling of the senior and healthcare institution.

Keywords: community care; seniors; home environment; opinions of physicians; opinions of nurses

Received: January 14, 2011; Accepted: May 10, 2011; Published: June 20, 2011  Show citation