同居家族の就労により日中独居ですごす要介護高齢者の不安とその対処

Anxiety and Coping of Care-Needing Elderly People Left Alone at Home while Cohabiting Household Members are at Work

抄録

　本研究の目的は，同居家族の就労により日中独居ですごす要介護高齢者の不安を生じさせる事柄とその対処について明らかにすることである．

　対象は訪問看護を利用している日中独居高齢者9人とし，調査は半構成的面接法を用いて，質的記述的に分析した．結果，日中独居高齢者は，不自由な身体から1人での【事故の起こりやすい生活】【自分の望まない範囲に定められた環境】【孤独を感じる静かな空間】【孤立した無為な生活】によって不安を抱きながらすごしていた．

　これら不安への問題焦点型対処として，1人でも安全にすごせるよう【1人でも困らないよう自ら行動に移す】【自分でできる対応を想定しておく】など自立を目指した行動をとっていた．一方，情動焦点型対処として，日中独居高齢者の不安は何らかの支援がないと解決できないことが多いため，家族の帰宅を待ち【その場をやりすごす】【1人の時間に気持ちを整える】などによって不安を緩和し心の安定を図っていた．

　This study was conducted to clarify matters producing anxiety in care-needing elderly people who are left alone at home during the day when cohabiting household members go to work. The study results clarify how elderly people cope with that anxiety.

　A semi-structured interview was administered to 9 elderly people receiving visiting nursing services who were left alone at home during the day. Interview data were analyzed qualitatively and descriptively. The results revealed that, because of their physical impairments and being alone, these elderly people left alone at home during the day spent time affected by anxiety derived from [accident-prone daily life], [unwanted and restricted environment], [quiet and lonely space], and [isolated and idle life].

　As problem-focused coping for the anxiety, these elderly people were taking actions aimed at independence to spend time safely by themselves, such as [moving into action on their own initiative so as not to be at a loss when being alone] and [imagining what response they could make]. As emotion-focused coping, because anxiety of elderly people left alone at home during the day cannot be resolved in many cases without help of some kind, they were trying to alleviate anxiety and maintain their mental balance by [letting situations pass] and [sorting out their feelings when spending time alone] while waiting for household members to return home.