Table 3.

Interview Guide Used in the Focus Group and Individual Interviews

Loneliness in General Among Older People
Introductory question	You can be lonely in many different ways. You can feel alone while being with others, and you might want to or even long to be alone (in solitude). What are your thoughts/experiences of loneliness in general? What are your thoughts/experiences of loneliness among older people you meet in your work?
Existential Loneliness Among Older People
Introductory question	Have you heard about existential loneliness (EL)? If “yes”: What is the meaning of EL for you? If “no”, a description of EL is provided. The phenomenon is described as a deeper feeling of loneliness which concerns aspects of life, meaning and death – a feeling that can come and go. Can you remember a situation when an older person/patient in your care expressed this deeper kind of loneliness?
Probing Questions
About the encounter	How did you notice EL and how did you realize that the person’s feelings related to EL? Do/did you have any idea about the cause of this feeling? What did you do? Were you able to talk about the patient’s feelings in the particular situation? Afterwards? How did it work out? Do you think you could have handled the situation in a different way?
About the staff themselves	What feelings did this evoke in you? How did/do you handle this kind of situation? Do you have any support concerning these questions? What kind of support would you like to have? What are the difficulties in encountering older people’s existential thoughts? In an ideal world, what “skills” would you like to develop?