“I love seeing them laughing and smiling and everything, it actually just brightens my heart.” The Use of IPA to Explore the Lived Experience of Paid Care Workers.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the lived experience of paid care workers using IPA. Participants: The 8 participants recruited in this study are paid caregivers in Scotland who support elderly clients. The participants received new names for this study: the 5 female participants were called Alex, Bailey, Charlie, Dani, and Elliot, while the 3 male participants were named Frankie, Glenn, and Harper. Methods: Participants were required to do semi-structured face-to-face recorded interview using an interview schedule. The recordings were transcribed and analysed using IPA thus generating the superordinate and subordinate themes of the study. Results: The data has generated 3 superordinate themes: Rewards, Challenges, and Support. Rewards is associated with 3 subordinate themes: Promoting Independence, Connection with Clients, and Joy and Positivity in the Workplace. Challenges is associated with 3 subordinate themes: Challenging/Violent Behaviour, Workload, and Transformative Experience. Support is associated with 2 subordinate themes: Frustration Due to Support Facilities and Importance of Empathy.