Health care professionals' experiences of possibilities and constraints in caring for older adults living with long-term pain in community home care

Abstract

Caring for a growing population of older adults with complex health problems in their homes is part of every-day work for many health care professionals in the world. This qualitative interview study explores the way health care professionals perceive possibilities and constraints when caring for older adults living with long-term pain in community home care in Sweden. The study aims to understand the relationship between health care professionals' subjective experiences and social structures such as the organization of care and shared norms and values in regard to their perceived space of action. Findings provide insight into how institutional structures such as organization and time, conflate with cultural notions, norms, and ideals, and how these enable and constrain health care professionals in their daily work but also create dilemmas. Findings suggest centering the meaning of structuring aspects in social organizations as a tool for reflection on priorities, improvement, and development in care settings.

Keywords: Culture; Health care professionals' experiences; Home care; Institutional structures; Long-term pain; Norms; Older adults.