”Övergrepp – Det finns inte riktigt i min värld”: En kvalitativ studie om hur övergrepp definieras och konstrueras inom äldrevården

Sammanfattning: “Abuse – That’s not really a factor in my world”: A qualitative study about how abuse is defined and constructed within geriatric care Nursing homes have increasingly come under attack in recent years for scandals involving the abuse of elderly care-takers within their organisations. The purpose of this study was to determine how abuse can be defined by the staff within geriatric care in nursing homes, and to give the reader a broader understanding of the term abuse through the use of social constructionism. The aim of the study was also to explore other factors which can contribute to the existence of elder abuse, and the endeavours utilised within the organisations to prevent said abuse. The study was based on seven semi-structured interviews with the staff at two different nursing homes. The results of the interviews were then coded using eight different themes and thereafter analysed through the social constructionism theory, primarily Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmanns interpretation of social constructionism. Through this study, we have created a broad definition of what the staff characterise as abuse within geriatric care; this definition includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, psychological abuse and disrespect of the care-takers’ personal space and autonomy. An important part of the definition of abuse, as the staff define it, is what the care-takers themselves personally experience to be abuse. Other factors which can contribute to the existence of abuse, such as the role organisational factors play and the elderly care-takers’ personality, autonomy and preservation of identity have also been explored in this study. Preventive measures used within nursing homes include discussions with the staff about the organisation’s value-system, sanctions and further education within geriatric care.