Exploration of the experience of caregivers for oral health care for the elderly in long-term care facilities: based on the grounded theory / 대한구강보건학회지

ABSTRACT

Objectives@#This study aims to explore the experience of caregivers in oral health care of the elderly in long-term care facilities, identify the problems, and collect opinions, and to seek improvement directions for strengthening competency and improving services of oral health care for the elderly. @*Methods@#Data on the experience in oral health care of the elderly were collected through focus group interviews (FGI) targeting caregivers in long-term care facilities. The grounded theory method was used. The interview content was categorized by open coding, and a paradigm model was presented by identifying the relationship between the categories through axial coding. Selective coding found core categories. @*Results@#As a result of categorizing the caregivers’ oral care experience of the elderly, 15 categories, 40 sub-categories, and 125 concept/phenomena codes were derived. The central phenomenon was the difficulty of implementing sustainable oral health care. The deterioration of the mental and physical functions of the elderly, the work characteristics of caregivers, and the lack of linkage with internal and external resources of the facility acted as causal conditions for the central phenomenon. The caregiver’s oral health education experience acted as an intervening condition. In an effort to improve the problem, an interaction strategy was derived. @*Conclusions@#It is possible to seek delivery of sustainable oral health care services by caregivers by improving the quality of oral health education and establishing an oral health care service system for the elderly.