Encountering existential loneliness among older people: perspectives of health care professionals

Figures & data

Figure 1. The four steps of the analysis.

Table I. Characteristics of focus group participants.

Characteristics	n = 61	Specialist training
Age
Range (md)	26–68 (49)
Gender
Women (%)	55 (90)
Men (%)	6 (10)
Profession
Nurse assistant	22
Registered nurse	25
Physician	5
Occupational therapist	2
Physiotherapist	3
Social counsellor	3
Social worker/Case officer	1
Additional specialist training/specialized orientation (˃ one year)	27
Nurse assistant	3	Palliative care, Home care rehabilitation
Registered nurse	17	Oncology and palliative care, Primary health care, Pre-hospital care, Intensive care, Anaesthesia care, Elderly care
Physician	5	Oncology and palliative medicine, General Practitioner, Geriatrics
Occupational therapist	–
Physiotherapist	–
Social counsellor	2	Cognitive behavioural therapy, Psychodynamic therapy
Social worker	–
Professional work experience in health care, yr
Range (md)	4–43 (19)
Work experience in the present organization, yr
Range (md)	0.5–42 (9)
Participants from each care context
Home care	16
Nursing home	11
Palliative care	16
Primary care	4
Hospital care	9
Pre-hospital care	5

Table II. Description of the four dimensions of van Deurzen’s theory of the life world (van Deurzen, 2012).

The Physical World	The most fundamental world, based on the assumption that human existence is rooted in the body, and includes the relation to nature, body, and oneself on a physical level.
The Social World	The world about the human existence in relation to others in the world with all aspects of social interaction as in ordinary meetings with others, human relations in the public world, and an inevitable part of life.
The Personal World	The world of closeness, to oneself and in other close relations. A psychological dimension including private experiences and identity.
The Spiritual World	The world about what creates meaning, about the person’s connection with the abstract elements in life and ideal values. About spiritual thoughts, beliefs and aspirations about life and the world beyond the person.

Figure 2. Professionals’ experiences of barriers in the encounter.

Figure 3. Challenges in encountering older people’s existential loneliness.

van Deurzen, E. (2012). Existential counselling & psychotherapy in practice (3th ed.). London: SAGE.

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