Care in my own home: Elders' accounts of receiving domiciliary care for the first time

Background: In England, over 700,000 people are supported to remain living in their own homes by receiving domiciliary care. The existing UK research focuses primarily on the quality and cost-effectiveness of care. Receiving care for the first time can be a significant change to daily life, yet there is a lack of research exploring elders’ experiences of first receiving domiciliary care.

Aim: To explore elders’ accounts of receiving domiciliary care for the first time.

Methodology: A critical realist approach was adopted. Individual semi-structured interviews took place with ten elders (aged 76-95) receiving domiciliary care in Southeast England. Interview transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Analysis: Two overarching themes were generated. The first overarching theme, ‘A new, important relationship’, comprises the themes: ‘Carers are like friends’ and ‘Support to continue with life’. The second overarching theme, ‘Who am I now? Changing view of oneself’, contains the themes: ‘Struggling to accept the need for help’ and ‘Lost parts of the self’.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that receiving domiciliary care for the first time is a significant life event, which prompts realisation of one’s advancing age and a changing view of the self. A friendship-like relationship with carers promotes elders’ psychological well-being and supports elders to accept care into their lives. The findings highlight the considerable psychosocial value of domiciliary care. Potential implications include contributing to training for carers and health professionals supporting elders during the transition into receiving care.