Optimising mobility through the sit-to-stand activity for older people living in residential care facilities: A qualitative interview study of healthcare aide experiences

Aims and objectives: To explore the experience of HCAs encouraging residents living in residential care to complete the sit-to-stand activity and to identify the strategies HCAs used to integrate the activity into their daily work routines.

Background: Decreased mobility in advanced ageing is further reduced when entering a residential care facility. Interventions such as the sit-to-stand activity have been shown to have a positive effect on the mobility of older people. There is evidence to suggest that healthcare aides are able to support residents to complete the sit-to-stand activity as part of their daily work routines; however, little is known about how healthcare aides actually do this with residents living in residential care.

Design: A qualitative interview study included seven purposively sampled HCAs working in residential care facilities. Semistructured interviews were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis.

Results: The HCAs' experience with the sit-to-stand activity was represented by the following four categories: Resident participation, Feeling misunderstood and disrespected, Time and workload, and Management involvement. HCAs identified three strategies to help them support residents to complete the sit-to-stand activity: Motivating residents, Completing activity in a group and Using time management skills.

Conclusions: HCAs reported some encouragement from managers and cooperation from residents to complete the sit-to-stand activity with residents; however, they also felt constrained by time limitations and workload demands and they felt misunderstood and disrespected. HCAs were able to identify several strategies that helped them to integrate the sit-to-stand activity into their daily routines.

Implications for practice: This study highlights the challenges and supportive factors of implementing the sit-to-stand activity into the daily work routine of HCAs. The study also identifies the strategic role of nurse managers when implementing interventions in residential care facilities.