Improving Quality of Life for Older People in Long-Stay Care ...

Cultural differencesnot an issueI find the nurses good, andI like the, I like the Filipinonurses and I like, I like theAfrican nurses. They’re verygood yes, and our own nurses.(PK3 Resident 02, Public)Cultural differences a potential problemThe staff are very nice. Now, I find that they’re(care staff from overseas) not quite as, well,they’re nice and very nice some of them, butthey’re not as, what would I say now, the Filipinoswere lovely, they never, nothing was too hard forthem, but the others are a little bit uppity, I findanyway, not them all now … but some. (YW5Resident 07, Private)Not being troublesomeWell, I don’t find any problemwith them (staff). Well, the way it isI don’t give them any trouble, so, asI say, I’m more or less independent.They’ll do a thing if I ask them,they’ll do it. But otherwise I candress as I told you, I can do a washand dress myself. (YW2 Resident04, Private)Not feeling rushedInt: Do you feel rushed?Not at all, you have time foreverything. You could spend all dayat it. They’re extremely consideratewith that now. (YW1 Resident 02,Private)Feeling a nuisanceI’ve arthritis in the shoulder now and that,and I’ve a bit of trouble getting off me clothesat night, and I don’t like asking them.Int: Is that because you’d like to be ableto do it for yourself, or that you wouldn’task them?I just wouldn’t ask them. (GN2 Resident 09,Public),Feeling rushedI liked to be helped when I say ‘excuse mecan you give me a hand’ and they will helpyou. I don’t like to get pushed aside and theysay ‘I will do that’. I don’t like that. … It’simportant that I keep those things going. Formy own stability for a start. I need that. Someof them are over-nice, put it that way. It’s nota bad complaint. (GN1 Resident 04, Public)189More generally, some respondents prided themselves on their independence andbeing able to care for themselves. Not asking for help was a point of principle forthem. However, others were concerned that they would be considered a burdenby staff and would not ask for help even when they needed it. Some residentsalso described feeling rushed and hurried. They indicated that they liked to dothings at their pace and wanted to do as much as possible for themselves. Thisincompatibility in pace frustrated residents. They did not appreciate being rushedbut accepted it, putting it down to staff being busy or the consequence of staffshortages.