A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Study Exploring the Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Support for UK South Asian Families Living with Frailty
Background: The UK South Asian population experience poorer frailty health outcomes than the white British population, and are less likely to access frailty support and services. Aim: To understand the lived experiences of South Asian families living with frailty, identifying perceived barriers to accessing frailty services and developing recommendations to reduce access barriers. Methods: A scoping review explored perceptions of frailty in the lay UK public. Subsequently, using a hermeneutic phenomenological design, two studies were conducted including i) interviews with 16 South Asian older people and family carers, exploring perceptions and barriers to accessing frailty services (ii) focus group involving nine community and social care stakeholders (iii) interviews with seven South Asian older people and family members to co-produce recommendations for improving frailty awareness and reducing service access barriers. Results: South Asian families’ socio-cultural perspectives of frailty influenced their emotional and coping responses, and decisions to seek support from frailty services. They perceived frailty as natural, God ordained, causing cultural stigma and isolation, and manageable through family support and religious coping strategies. Service access was hindered by a lack of culturally sensitive frailty services, appropriate information and poor attitudes towards cultural values and practices. Developing culturally sensitive frailty education and cultural competency training for health care professionals were identified as solutions to improve access to frailty support services. Conclusion: South Asian families lived experiences highlight the need to address wider structural barriers to facilitate timely access to frailty services and improve health outcomes for South Asian families living with frailty.
Frailty, Illness perceptions, Hermeneutic phenomenology, Common sense model of self-regulation, South Asian people, Ageing, United Kingdom, Health inequalities, Support services, Barriers
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