Stories of the elderly in relation to Katharine Kolcaba's Theory (Chillanes-Ecuador)

Abstract

Comfort is a construct that has been described as a fundamental element in inpatient care, Kolcaba performs a conceptualization of comfort, distinguishing three types in four contexts. The objective was to describe the comfort provided in the elderly through an indepth interview at the ATALAYA Senior Center. It is a qualitative study, with a phenomenological approach, non-probabilistic sampling, an interview focused on 4 contexts of Katharine Kolcaba's theory was applied, identifying the type of comfort, with the participation of 8 older adults belonging to the Center for Older Adults ATALAYA, after signing the informed consent; the ATLAS TI software was used, a hermeneutical unit was built, the information was categorized into a hierarchy of codes, memos, appointments, families, and networks, in the analysis 6 core categories were created, with their respective subcategories. For the elderly, what the center can offer you is comfort, well-being or comfort, with quality-warmth care, good treatment, respect between colleagues and staff, tranquility, and the atmosphere of the center is cozy, with physical and recreational activities also suggest changes. Finishing this work, the elderly perceive comfort through the care provided and the comforts to live, however, it will not reach a full degree of well-being. Thus, demonstrating in our case study that the participating adults experience satisfactory comfort, but their factors that can alter it.