Useful lessons for the provision of services in long-term care facilities in South Korea: operators’ experiences illuminate the phenomenon of working with the elderly in the field

Purpose: The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of elderly long-term care facilities by focusing on insights provided by the operators of these facilities. Methods: In this phenomenological study, 10 participants who operated nursing home businesses were interviewed. Of the 10 participants, seven had graduated from a nursing programme and three had studied social welfare. Results: The experiences of facility operators could be organized into four themes: “Starting as a facility operator”, “Dream of an ideal long-term care facility”, “Struggling desperately in practice”, and “Obtaining hope by providing care”. These four themes were divided into 18 subthemes, constituting 96 meaningful statements. Conclusion: Despite the obvious gap between reality and ideals with regard to caring for residents, operators used a person-centred care strategy for the elderly at their facilities. Our findings indicate that, despite diverse barriers and hardships, participants were encouraged when they offered person-centred healthcare services for the elderly under their care, based on a philosophy of a holistic understanding of humans and respect for human life and dignity. Facility operators who are leaders in the practical field should be involved in the decision/policy-making process, to support health and well-being in the elderly in institutionalized settings.