An ethnographic study of the experience of everyday life of older people who are living with dementia, and their caregivers, within a Saudi care home

Hamithi, Manal 2023. An ethnographic study of the experience of everyday life of older people who are living with dementia, and their caregivers, within a Saudi care home. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Background: Dementia care is integral to the healthcare system in Saudi Arabia, against the backdrop of an ageing population within which the prevalence of dementia is high. The majority of care homes in Saudi Arabia provide dementia care for older people. This trend is expected to continue because care homes are frequently the only alternative available to satisfy the needs of many individuals living with dementia, especially in the latter stages of the disease when a person requires 24-hour care. Study Aim: To understand the everyday life of older adults living with dementia in the context of a Saudi Arabian care home. Method: The study used critical ethnography to explore the everyday life experience of older people living with dementia, and their caregivers, within a Saudi care home. Over a period of six months, the researcher spent one-two days per week engaged in fieldwork, totalling 80 hours. Fieldwork involved participant observation, informal conversations and document review. Data were analysed thematically using NVivo 12 computer software as part of a triangulation strategy. Findings: The findings from this study showed that for both residents and staff, the everyday aspects of caregiving and care-receiving were highly routinised. The daily experiences of residents living with dementia in the care home were shaped by timetables and daily routines, which determined care responsibilities. Understanding these timetables and routines and how these are enacted in practice was crucial for understanding the care setting and how the care home delivered care to the residents. The care home management team used a timetable approach to manage care delivery. However, this approach also created the potential for conflict between the reality of the fixed routines inside the care home and how residents required care. This study found that the organisational culture reflected the power relations and hierarchal values in the home, monitoring and surveillance regimes, as well as practices that led to the obstruction of work. It shaped the workflow of the care home, the underlying values about care and the day-to-day behaviours linked with these in practice, and the ethos of care built around residents with dementia. 6 Conclusion and Impact: Given that organisational culture shapes care decisions, we can assume that it is embedded in managerial practices and work processes which indirectly uphold or undermine the care of residents with dementia.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Healthcare Sciences
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 October 2024
Last Modified:	04 Oct 2024 08:42
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/172595

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