Autonomi inom äldreomsorgen : en undersökning av vårdpersonalens förhållningssätt

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study was to examine how ethical conflicts could influence the ways that care staff chose to act. My questions was - How do care staff think they should act in situations where aged persons autonomy either could be supported or limited? - How do care staffs chosen act relate to the Swedish Social Services Act and its intentions? - Is level of education of any importance when it comes to how care staff chose to act? Collopys Polarities Within Autonomy was used as theoretical base. His polarities give an opportunity to identify ethical dilemmas in the everyday life of elderly care and also to show how you can support or limit personal autonomy. A survey was used to gather information. One part of the questionnaire was quantitative and one part had qualitative elements consisting of six short vignettes. These vignettes has been constructed and analysed from Collopys Polarities Within Autonomy. The study is based on nursing assistants and nursing aids that work in six different elderly homes in the municipal of Halmstad. Totally 110 questionnaires were distributed and 107 persons responded. In several of the different situations that were described it was about half of the respondents who considered that they should act in a way that would limit the elder's autonomy. In three of the situations described, nearly half of the answers did not relate to the Swedish Social Services Act and its intentions. According to the answers no connection were found between level of education and care staffs attitudes towards the elderly and their right to autonomy. A higher level of education is therefor no guarantee for a better behaviour towards the elderly.