Title : Ascertaining the residency experience of older adults in nursing home through a journey mapping: A qualitative study
Abstract:
Objective: To clarify the comprehensive residency experience of older adults in nursing home, to identify touchpoints, pain points, needs, opportunities, and to provide evidence for developing holistic experience optimization strategies to improve care quality and enhance the well-being of residents.
Methods: The research team constructed a journey map framework based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs through a literature review. From January to March 2025, purposive sampling was used to recruit 22 older adults residing in senior care facilities for semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were imported into NVivo 12.0 for data organization and coding, followed by directed content analysis to analyze the data and visualize the journey map.
Results: Guided by Maslow’s theory, the horizontal axis of the user journey map was categorized into five scenarios: physiological needs, safety, social belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. The vertical axis focused on residents’ behaviors, needs, touchpoints, emotions, satisfactions, and pain points across these scenarios. Key opportunities were systematically analyzed, culminating in a comprehensive residency journey map for older adults in senior care facilities.
Conclusion: The residency experience of older adults in nursing home is dynamic and multidimensional. Future interventions should integrate age-friendly environmental modifications, training programs to enhance caregivers’ humanistic care competencies, emotional management support for residents, and health empowerment education. These strategies aim to optimize residents’ experiences and elevate the overall quality of care in senior care facilities.
