Late life care transitions: How to cope meaningfully with increased dependency and need-for-care in late life

We live in an ageing society. Life expectancy significantly increases and final stage of life is prolonged. This prolongation, however,  often implies a confrontation with increased dependency and need for care and triggers the self-view of the elder person. To become dependent on professional support and assistance in daily living can be considered a challenging turning point. We know from earlier research that making a transition to more formal care (transmural or residential) is a highly stressful event for elderly. Insight in the adaptation process after a care transition or in the key constructs stimulating a benevolent adaptation, however, is virtually absent.

This study focuses on how elderly can meaningfully cope with such care transitions and therefore, the study will investigate the adaptation process in-vivo, at the actual occurrence of the transition. Elderly will be interviewed 1 week prior to the transition and next, at 2, 3, 4, and finally 12 weeks of follow-up. Elderly will be inquired on changed self-cognitions (global beliefs), meaningful coping processes, and adaptation-related outcome (depressive symptoms, gratitude, hope). We aim to provide fundamental insight in this crucial late-life event that can offer insight valuable for elderly care policy and can offer tools for care professionals to facilitate this transition.