Promoting a Culture of Community in Lebanese Care Homes Through Forging Partnerships: A Constructivist Case Study Approach

Background

Care homes can create a culture of community where residents, their families and staff are supported to develop positive relationships with one another, to interact and explore ideas together in an informal way. This concept is reported in the literature as a Westernised construct and so far, little is known about its meanings from a Middle Eastern cultural perspective and context.

Aim

The aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding of how partnership between the three stakeholders may contribute to changing the organisation and focus of care homes, supporting a transition to the development of a community culture.

Method

A constructivist case study method is employed following Stake's collective case study model. Two care homes were chosen purposively to capture the experience of residents, families and staff working in different types of care homes. Data collection methods include interviews, focus groups and field observations with triangulation of methods and data. Data collection and data analysis occurred simultaneously.

Results

Analysis of data resulted in the emergence of four themes: organisational flexibility, a vision of care incorporating fundamental elements such as caring and dignity, connectedness/reciprocity, enhancing job satisfaction and morale of staff. These findings indicate that residents, staff and families are interdependent, and this needs to be considered when fostering a culture of community in care homes as an important value. Findings prove that organisational flexibility and individualised care should be set as priorities over care only directed towards disease and illness.

Implications

The findings will have implications for developing policy and practice in care homes to improve experience of older residents thus enhancing quality of life in care homes in Lebanon.