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perceived by the elderly patients, while strategies could be described in termsof flexibility and inventiveness as keynotes in “action options”. Recurrences inthe ongoing flow of social life in the setting could then be crystallised andarticulated for ordered appreciation.5. FINDINGSThe purpose of analysis in qualitative research is to organise the description ofobservations so that it becomes manageable. Description is balanced byanalysis and leads into interpretation (Patton 1980: 343).Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za5.1 Analysis of the dataAn analysis of the data was made on the basis of the selected analytical units ofLofland (1971), namely acts, activities, meanings, participation, relationshipsand setting. According to the schema of Stimson, Webb (1975), the analysiswas undertaken in three parts, corresponding to the phases of the encounterprocess: prior to, during, and after the consultation with the doctor. For aproper understanding of the subjects’ accounts of their experiences during eachof the phases, the reports of the subjects were analysed against the backgroundof the organisational structure of the centre, as this was established during fieldwork and participant observation. This provided a context for the analysis, asthe subjects could be viewed in their componental positions within thecontextual setting, and facilitated interpretation and evaluation.It thus became possible to determine which areas of the treatment-seekingprocess and aspects of the care held the potential for conflict anddepersonalisation of elderly patients. Dysfunctional consequences ofdepersonalising elements of the service could then be connected to deficienciesin the structural and human relations aspects of the organisation.(i)Prior to the consultationAfter individuals decided to seek treatment at an outpatient centre, they need tomobilise themselves. This entails getting to the agency, clerking in, andpsychologically preparing for the face-to-face encounter with the doctor.Problems that subjects reported that they experience during this phase were thefollowing: each mode of travel (ambulance, private car, bus) entailed someinconvenience or difficulty; some subjects needed an escort to accompanythem through the procedures at the centre; there was frequently confusionabout appointments and with clerking in, during which time administrativestaff were often impatient or abrupt; patients’ files were often “lost”, causingdelays and resulting in long waits (“Die lêer is ewig en altoos weg”; “They lostmy file ... I waited for hours to see the doctor”). The research did not succeedin retrospectively tapping the pre-consultation feelings and expec-215