Lived Experiences of Elder Individuals in “Balay Taripato”

A Research Proposal

Krishna T. Bautista

Saint Louis University

 Introduction

There is no way to conceal that a part of our population is aging. The

workforce is likewise aging, though such portion of the population is gradually being
replaced by the younger counterparts, and put things back in equilibrium, the universal
struggle to cope is a constancy that keeps most of us dynamically restless. The reason
for the dilemma is written halfway the border of keeping and disposing them, who
once were part of the workforce architecture and now, the weakly kneaded glue that
could keep two time stamps together, until it no longer can’t, the elderly.

An individual is considered an elderly when he approaches senescence.

Senescence or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of function characteristic
of most complex life forms that on the level of the organism increases mortality after
maturation. The Senescent stage is one of the most critical turning points of human
life. It is the phase when people start to embody certain things that “weaken as they
end”, and at the same time compelled to accept that fact. When a person reaches this
point of his life, a lot of things must have occurred, including the inevitable physical
downgrade which, to some, produces consistently degrading emotional aftereffect and
even, death. Aging is often accompanied by diminished physical and/or mental
capacity. (Connell, 2003) Senescence is by far the leading cause of death. Of the
roughly 150,000 people who die each day across the globe, about two thirds—100,000
per day—die of age-related causes; in industrialized nations, moreover, the proportion
is much higher, reaching 90%. (Aubrey,2007)

There are many different signs and symptoms of biological aging or

senescence. Most of these develop gradually and are very different, that it is not
possible to diagnose aging based on isolated signs and symptoms alone. Different
people possess widely varying degrees of these physical signs and symptoms. Some of
these include: An overall decrease in energy and vigor, changes in sleeping patterns,
behavioral changes, skin and hair changes such as wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity, and
hair loss, loss or decrease in vision and hearing, elimination problems, sexual
dysfunction, and the like. In addition, aging is often accompanied by diminished
mental capacity. (Connell, 2003). It is also noteworthy that diminished physical
and/or mental capacity often accompanies longevity.

Regardless of how diverse the signs of aging are to every elderly, dealing with
these changes is the common issue. The debilitation caused by aging lays a network
of activities for people involved in the care of the elderly. Families are the major
provider of this long-term care activity, but research has shown that caregiving exacts
a heavy emotional, physical and financial toll. Many caregivers who work and provide
care experience conflicts between these responsibilities.

It is estimated that 75% to 85% of all care provided for the elderly takes place
within the community (Langner, 1995). It has been well documented that adult
daughters provide the majority of informal eldercare and that the largest cohorts of
elderly care receivers are women (Brody, 1981; Himes, 1992,

Horowitz, 1985; Neundorfer, 1991; Stoller, 1983; Stone, Cafferata & Sangl, 1987)
Informal caregiving however, is affecting family life, the economy, health care
services, and health policies (Kart, 1996; Quadagno, 1999), generally imposing care
issues, making caregiving a burden to the family of working individuals who cannot
afford to lose their jobs. Hence, they resort to Caregiving Institutions. Shifting the
issue to the elder individuas who are receiving institutional care, in a strange
environment.

My personal experience started 2 years ago when my grandmother began to

experience escalations in blood pressure and was then unable to ambulate as often as
before. I feared of my grandmother bumping into furnitures so I advised her to not
move around whenever she feels giddy. At an instant, I felt the burden. Although
most members of the family were nurses, I was the only nurse left home, the others
went abroad, so the responsibility of looking after my grandmother’s health and
welfare in on me. Whenever a health problem arises, I am the one to blame, which to
me is a colossal pressure since I am a full-time clinical instructor who most of the time
is away from home. This means, I cannot dedicate my best in the care, but still I hae to
do something for that. Hence, opening the possibilities of endorsing her to caregiving
institutions when things fall apart. My grandmother is now 81 years old, during this
period, my grandmother, in spite of physical limitations, seemed to maintain a high
level of health and well- being but anytime soon, she will stop being that. So I found
myself questioning: “Will this action e just to my grandmother who used to do the
caregiving oer us when she was still ale?”. “Are there differences in the experience
of caregiving and the perceptions of elders receiving care? How do these affect the
overall health and wellness of the caregiver and elder care receivers?” These personal
experiences of mine influenced the framing of this study

It is my that in this country where its Culture strongly values the family, the
family members should provide informal personal care to the elderly but in
circumstances where this is not possible, caregiving institutions are an option.

By reflecting on the scenario, I would like to venture into this research work to
look into the lived experiences of the elder individuals who are receiving institutional
care from caregiving agencies, particularly “Balay Taripato”. The objective is to gain
an in-depth understanding of the perception and experiences of an elderly. The
findings of this study might establish interventions for increasing caregivers’,
government and family members’ involvement in caregiving issues.

Methodology

This study will make use of the descriptive phenomenological research design
to explore the unique individual’s experiences encountered by elder individuals living
in caregiving institutions like Balay Taripato. This design will involve direct
exploration, analysis, and description of particular phenomena, as free as possible
from unexamined presuppositions, aiming at maximum intuitive presentation. The
participants will be chosen purposively and will include elder men and women who
are under the care the caregiving institution, Balay Taripato.

An unstructured interview will be conducted supported by observation, tape

recorders in obtaining the data needed until data saturation is reached. The responses
of the subjects will reflect the exact description of the phenomenon under study. The
researcher will secure permission from the Head of the Institution for the conduct of
the study. The researcher will clearly explain the objectives of the study and obtain
consent from the participants. Confidentiality will be ensured by the use of
pseudonyms during research reporting.
 The researcher will use field notes and transcript file during the data collection.
Field notes will include detailed descriptions of the events observed, including date,
time, and setting and the reactions to the observed event. Transcript files will contain
raw data from the interview. A printed copy of the transcript files will be cut into
strips and will group similar data into themes. Utilizing a modification of Colazi’s
(1978) method of analysis, the researcher will undertake the following steps: 1) read
all transcript files to acquire a feeling for them; 2) review each transcript file and
extract significant statement; 3) spell out the meaning of each significant statement; 4)
organize the formulated meanings into clusters of themes; 5) integrate results into an
exhaustive description of the phenomenon under study; 6) formulate an exhaustive
description of the phenomenon under study in an unequivocal statement of
identification as possible.

REFERENCES
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Seltzer, M. M., & Wailing Li, L. (1996). The transitions of caregiving:

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Walker, A. J. & Allen, K. R. (1991). Relationships between caregiving

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