老人安養護機構住民死亡態度之研究

A Research on the Elders' Attitudes toward Death in Long Term Care Facilities

蔡秋敏(Chiu-Min Tsai) ； 張宏哲(Hong-Jer Chang)

《臺大社會工作學刊》 10期 (2005/01) Pp. 169-220

摘要

安養護機構屬老人群居住宿場所，依據內政部統計年報顯示，年滿六十五歲以上者其死亡人口佔總死亡人口數的65.8%（內政部統計處，2000:82-83），顯見隨醫療進步，死亡人口群逐漸落在老人族群。許多研究同時也顯示，接觸死亡經驗會影響個人的死亡態度，爰機構住民身處於高度死亡流動的場域，其面對自己的死亡態度為何？又，在不斷地經驗其他同儕住民死亡事件，內心又有何感受？均是老人長期照護服務不得不重視的課題。本研究透過質性敘事分析研究，實地進入個案研究機構，以探索住民面對自我、同儕住民死亡態度脈絡歷程。
本研究發現從死亡接納度與死亡關切兩向度，歸納出住民面對自我死亡有著積極迎接死、害怕死亡、不思考死亡、拒絕思考死亡等四類型死亡表現。住民間之親疏關係則影響著其對同儕住民死亡的關切，研究歸納住民對同儕住民之死亡態度呈現出「積極關懷」、「惻隱之心」、「事不關己」等三類型死亡表現。

關鍵字

老人安養護機構 ； 機構住民 ； 死亡態度 ； 長期照護

並列摘要

Long term care facilities are group residential settings for the elderly. According to the annual report published by the Ministry of the Interior in 2,000, 65.8% of the death population was over 65. It indicates that more death falls into the elder population as the medical technology improves over time. Many researches show that a person's attitudes toward death can be influenced by his/her experiences with death. What kind of attitudes would the elders hold toward their own death when living in settings where death incidences have higher occurring rate than that in other settings? In addition, what would they feel when experiencing the death of other residents in their facilities again and again? These are crucial issues which should be given attention to when providing long term care to the elderly. The research was conducted in a field site and was used qualitative analysis method to explore the processes and patterns of how those elders confronted their own death and the death of other residents in that facility.
By looking into the acceptance of death and concerns on death upon those elders, the researchers found that they were either positively accepting, afraid, indifferent or being denial when facing their own death. When dealing with other residents' death, they were positively concerning, compassionate or indifferent.

並列關鍵字

long term care facilities ； residents in institutions ； attitude toward death ； long term care

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