Experiencing Participation in Health Care: “Through the Eyes of Older Adults”

Background: Patient participation is well understood by health care professionals but not many studies have focused on the older adults and their perceptions of patient participation. Aim and Objectives: To report an analysis of the concept of participation from the perspective of the older adult. Design: Concept analysis. Methods: An integrative review approach was undertaken and the searches were limited from January 2003 to December 2014, guiding question was; “what constitutes patient participation according to the older adult?” Results: Through the eyes of the older adults, a two-way communication should be initiated by the staff. Equality and sharing power between older adults and staffs was perceived as a precondition. Been given time was an essential issue, implying that older adults wished to have enough time from staffs and be in the right context surrounded by the appropriate environment in order to experience participation. Conclusion: In order to experience participation for older adults, it is important that the health care professionals are aware of how and in what ways they can contribute to participation among older adults. The need or wish to create participation is not enough; the health care professional needs to see and understand participation through the older adult’s eyes. Thus, a person-centered nursing approach is relevant for the health care professional in order to both give and maintain the experience of participation to the older adult.