Friends of life: Taking a peek into the patterns of friendships of elders prior to and during institutionalization

• Main Authors: Aguilar, Karen Anne L., Carpio, Rachel Pauline P., Victoriano, Anna Marissa C.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2000
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/11665
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study focuses on the possible changes in the patterns of friendship formed by elders prior to and during their institutionalization. Friendship categories according to the types of friends that the elders have as well as those categories according to the activities an elder and his or her friends usually engage in were formulated and described in the study. The study made use of a non-probability sampling, where participants were purposively chosen aged sixty (60) years old and above, residing in Luwalhati ng Maynila Home for the Aged for at least one (1) year, were assured by the management that they are qualified to participate in this study, is in good mental and physical health with no complex cases of memory lapses, can verbally respond to the questions of the interviewers, and were willing to participate in this study. The researchers were able to acquire data from nine (9) elders, which was constituted by three (3) males and six (6) females, residing in the above-mentioned institution. The data for the different case studies were acquired from conducting unstructured, open-ended interviews and observations. Results showed that friendship patterns prior to institutionalization changed once the elder was institutionalized. This held true for patterns of friendship with categories based on type and with categories based on activity. These changes were found to have been due to the occurrences of several factors namely: restrictions in the institution, mental instability, physical disability, and lack of contact.