Reasons for Nursing Home Placement of Older Women in Tabriz, Iran: A Content Analysis

In consistent with the growing rate of elderly population, the burden of chronic diseases has dramatically increased, and subsequently, the need for long-term care has increased, too. The population rate of elderly women is higher than men, and their admission rate to nursing homes is more than men. The present study explained different reasons for the admission of the elderly women to nursing homes.  In total, 13 participants were recruited through purposive sampling method. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were applied in this qualitative research. Content analysis was used for data analysis. Two key factors were the causes of elderly women living in nursing homes. These factors included ‘underlying reasons’ and ‘situational reasons’. The obtained results indicate that the situational reasons played a dominant role in choosing nursing home care. Older women noted several barriers for the lack of participation in the community and at home. Such factors included financial problems, unwanted marriage, abuse, and neglect. Moreover, falls, accidents, loneliness, and emotional problems were classified as major situational reasons. In consistent with the growing rate of elderly women, their burden of care continues to rise. Moreover, elderly abuse will increase in this population due to declining financial resources. This could lead to the sending the elderly people to nursing homes. To prevent these factors and facilitate conditions for families and elderly people to live in their desired place, providing community-based services can be useful.