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. 2022 Nov 28;10(12):2384.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare10122384.

Do You Feel Safe at Home? A Qualitative Study among Home-Dwelling Older Adults with Advanced Incurable Cancer

Ellen Karine Grov  1 , Siri Ytrehus  2
Affiliations

Do You Feel Safe at Home? A Qualitative Study among Home-Dwelling Older Adults with Advanced Incurable Cancer

Ellen Karine Grov et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Many older adults with cancer prefer to live at home, and home treatment and outpatient care have been recommended for such patients. To improve their mental health, it is important to identify the challenges that are faced by home-dwelling older adults with cancer. This study aimed to examine the impact of the home on older adults with advanced cancer who were receiving treatment and follow-up care. In a cross-sectional design with criterion-based sampling, eight qualitative interviews were transcribed and interpreted thematically. We identified three themes of home-safety management: good home-safety management, uncertain home-safety management, and home-safety management collapse. Moreover, we revealed eight sub-themes important to the participants' home-safety experience. Ensuring that older adults feel safe at home will afford them the opportunity to enjoy living at home, which in turn may alleviate their symptom burden and enhance their mental health.

Keywords: cancer care; feeling safe; home-dwelling; mental health; older adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors confirm that they have no individual, company, or organization-based interests which involve financial or personal gain.

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