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An exploration of strategies used by older people to obtain information about health- and social care services in the community
- Source :
- Health Expectations : An International Journal of Public Participation in Health Care and Health Policy
- Publication Year :
- 2015
- Publisher :
- Wiley-Blackwell, 2015.
-
Abstract
- Purpose To explore the strategies used by older people living in Ireland to obtain information about community health and social services. Methods A qualitative exploratory design was used. Focus groups (n = 3) were conducted with community dwelling older people (n = 17). A series of vignettes were used to guide discussion regarding hypothetical situations that approximated real-life scenarios for older people. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis. Results Obtaining information about community health and social services is an ongoing process that requires continuous commitment by older adults. Key strategies which emerged from the data included (i) taking a proactive stance towards accessing health information, (ii) making use of personal networks in your community and (iii) developing ‘insider’ knowledge. Conclusion Older people in this study had a proactive approach to obtaining health information and identified the importance of taking responsibility for managing their own needs. Despite this, obtaining basic information about community health and social services was a challenging and time-consuming process. Future research should focus on developing health literacy interventions that build upon and expand the strategies currently used by older people.
- Subjects :
- Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Social Work
would
Applied psychology
Information Seeking Behavior
help
Health literacy
literacy
public-health
outcomes
older people
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Nursing
ireland
Information seeking behavior
medicine
adults
Humans
030212 general & internal medicine
Qualitative Research
Aged
risk
Aged, 80 and over
education
Social work
Information seeking
030503 health policy & services
Public health
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Focus Groups
Middle Aged
information seeking
Focus group
Original Research Paper
Community health
Female
0305 other medical science
Psychology
Original Research Papers
health literacy
Qualitative research
support services
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Health Expectations : An International Journal of Public Participation in Health Care and Health Policy
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....02aed422f6b083c3bbd026b4e53cda03