Experiences of older people in Long-Term Care Institutions in light of the theory of Liquid Modernity.
Marcos Abelbeck de Oliveira, Márcia Aparecida Padovan Otani, Juliana Ribeiro da Silva Vernasque and 3 others
PMID 42259247WHAT IT FOUND
Older people in long-term care often described institutionalization as imposed by family, with lost autonomy, loneliness, and rigid routines.
They also valued safety, basic care, and staff attention. This reports their experiences, not tested interventions.
Key findings
01Older people said institutionalization followed dependence in daily activities and lack of family support, and some felt the move was imposed by family rather than chosen.
02Residents described institutional life as marked by lost autonomy, impoverished routines, inactivity, loneliness, and lack of privacy.
03They also described the institution as protective, valuing basic care, staff attention, and some new belonging.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in three long-term care facilities in a single municipality, so the experiences may not apply elsewhere. Only residents who could communicate and had MMSE-assessed cognition were included; people with dementia, recent hospitalization, or acute illness were not heard. Because abandonment and suffering are sensitive, some residents may not have shared painful parts of their experience. It is a qualitative interview study, so it cannot show whether any care practice changes outcomes. The interviewer was a nurse working in municipal health surveillance, and transcripts were not returned to participants.
Declared interests
The work received financial support from CAPES in Brazil.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these themes as proof that any care practice improves outcomes. The study describes 30 residents' experiences in three institutions and did not test an intervention.