Willingness to work in assisted living facilities: The Ghanaian nurses perspectives

Abstract

Objective This study explored nurses willingness to work in assisted living institutions for the aged. Background Assisted living institutions are multifunctional facilities that provide clinical and ambulatory (day hospital) care for somatic and psychogeriatric elderly with multiple pathology, disability, and handicaps. Methods The study used a mixed-methods approach in which qualitative data was collected first before the quantitative data. Data was collected through focused group discussions (FGDs) and questionnaires from 248 respondents with age ranging from 20 to 58 years from October 2016 to January 2017 with 8 missing from the quantitative data. Four pertinent questions were sked both in the study. Sampling was convenient and purposive from 4 different health institutions in the metropolis. Data from the FGDs were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Quantitative data was entered in SPSS version 23 and cleaned. Both sets of data were coded and analysed. Result The nurses appreciate the increase in the number of the aged in their communities; they think community members prepare towards their ageing by using their children as security, and the idea of assisted living was enthusiastically supported, but with the proviso that it would need to be ran by a private entrepreneur. Almost all the 240 respondents said that government should establish an institution for the aged and they would be willing to work in such an institution, if only it will run by a private entrepreneur. Conclusion The nurses also think that families are now becoming more nuclear; that is why caring for the aged has become a problem, thus creating a need for assisted living facilities