The Realization of Nurses in Managing a Day Care Program for Senior Citizens

Abstract

Background: Day care is a community-based resource for senior citizens that offers programs related to their health and well-being. Nurses positioned to manage day care in senior centers learn the challenge of caring for the older person.

Objective: The study aimed to discover the realization of nurses in managing a day care program for the senior citizens of Manila. The study proposed a renewed awareness among nurses on the roles they need to perform as health care practitioners. This was in line with the opportunity to conduct and manage a day care program for older persons at the senior center called “Bahay Kalinga” in Paco, Manila.

Method: A qualitative research design was used in exploring the experiences of nurses. The Manila
Department of Social Welfare (MDSW) gave permission to the nurses in the study to run a one-month day care program for the senior citizens in Bahay Kalinga. At the end of the program, the nurses were interviewed on their realization of the roles they performed. The verbatim transcripts of the in-depth interviews were analyzed through the lens of Colaizzi's [7] methodology for descriptive phenomenology.

Results: Findings showed that the nurses developed their own understanding on how it is to be an older person in a senior citizens center. The nurses also gained knowledge in managing a program for older persons and discovered complex nursing roles in the process.

Conclusion: The study contributed to a better understanding of the nurse's role in managing a day care
program for older persons. Thus, the study recommends that senior centers elicit the services of nurses as part of the health care team that manage day care programs for the health and well-being of senior citizens.