Alcohol in long-term care homes: A qualitative investigation with residents, relatives, care workers and managers

Introduction: Western societies are aging rapidly, and habitual use of alcohol is changing among older adults. Hence, care facilities are facing novel challenges regarding alcohol use. This pioneering qualitative study seeks to investigate the role of alcohol in care homes, as seen from the perspectives of residents, care workers, relatives, and institution management simultaneously. Method: Five residents, four care workers, three relatives, and two care home managers participated in semi-structured interviews lasting 60 minutes maximum. An interpretative phenomenological analysis framework were utilised for the analysis. Results: It seems that there is a positive attitude towards the use of alcohol in care homes across the four groups of participants. They find that the use of alcohol is presently low among the residents. Importantly there appears to be an important symbolic value in the rituals surrounding alcohol which is upheld by all four groups. Conclusion: While experiences between the four groups seem to converge regarding the use of alcohol, there are still some important differences. Importantly, we suggest that these unique views be utilised in developing methods for handling alcohol use in care homes in the future.