RESUMO
AIMS: To identify the factors conditioning the feasibility of an intervention to reduce social isolation and loneliness in noninstitutionalized older adults from the perspective of the intervention agents. DESIGN: A Dimensional Grounded Theory study conducted from December 2019 to January 2020. METHODS: Twelve participants were recruited from an experimental study developed in a health district of a southern Spanish city. Data were collected through focus group meetings, individual interviews, biograms, anecdote notebooks, and the field diaries of two participants not included in the other techniques. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Findings were divided into three themes: (a) the elderly between the walls of loneliness, economic difficulties, losses, and the past; (b) intervention agents/volunteers between the walls of inexperience in the management of psychological/emotional processes, lack of moral authority, and difficulty in planning results adapted to the (elderly) person; and (c) intervention between the walls of (interest in) company and assistance at home, lack of involvement ("waiting for you to save them"), and withdrawal/"abandonment". CONCLUSION: A profile of the specialized intervention agent, professionalized (or at least a mentored agent), with both technical and relational competencies; a clear understanding of the purposes of the intervention (empowerment, as opposed to having company or being helped with household chores) and the commitment to active participation by the elder; or adequate management of the completion of the intervention (flexibility, attachment management) are some of the main factors contributing to the feasibility of these approaches. IMPACT: The findings have potential implications in the field of primary healthcare because primary and community healthcare services can implement corrections to the proposed intervention and ensure its effectiveness under feasible conditions. The nurse is shown as the most appropriate profile to conduct this intervention, although more research is needed to analyze the feasibility of this type of intervention in the daily practice of community nurses.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To identify the main conditioning factors that Primary Care professionals indicate when implementing and developing interventions on isolation and loneliness. DESIGN: Qualitative research with grounded theory, systematic analysis and narrative design of topics. LOCATION: Developed in 12 Primary Care centres of the Health District of Córdoba and Guadalquivir, covering urban and rural areas. PARTICIPANTS: Three profiles were identified: family medicine/community care, community nursing and case management nursing. The selection was carried out among those who showed greater motivation and commitment to an intervention on isolation/loneliness. METHOD: Purposive sampling. The work was based on individual in-depth interviews, focus groups and dialogic interviews. RESULTS: (a) Distorted images persist about loneliness/social isolation and living alone that make it challenging to identify; (b) the main disruptive determinants in the structure and organization of the care system have to do with the absence of screening programs, the hegemony of the biomedical model and the deficit of resources (in light of this model); (c) the main facilitators are linked to the nursing role, privileged for these interventions according to the participants; and, finally, (d) personal components are necessary, both from the older adult and from the professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Intervention on social isolation and loneliness in Primary Care is conditioned by organizational and structural, professional and personal factors. It is essential to take them into account in order to guarantee their feasibility.
