Older persons' experiences of Reflective STRENGTH-Giving Dialogues - 'It's a push to move forward'

Older person's experience of PT4Ageing-A programme on self-management «support» in chronic illness

OBJECTIVE

This study sought to describe the experience of a group of older adults who participated in a chronic illness self-management program.

METHODS

The study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach. Participants were eight elders and data collected using semi-structured interviews Data was analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Five themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Tips to improve our daily lives, (2) I was always motivated, (3) Sharing and mutual help, (4) They made us believe we were capable (5). It would be great if it did not end here. Globally, the participants of the program described their experience as very positive. They identified gains from participating in the program, such as learning strategies to help them cope with their health problems, improving their ability to manage their illnesses more autonomously and building social support, that even persisted after the conclusion of the intervention.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study provide insight into how older adults experience a program for the self-management of chronic illness. For the development of future programs, support building must be considered. Older adults who participate in self-management programmes exhibit improved self-efficacy in relation to the management their chronic illnesses and greater autonomy in self-care.

´You are not yourself anymore´: The place of the ethical demand in a practical home care context

THE STUDY'S RATIONALE

The Scandinavian nursing tradition is based on caring science as the ontological backdrop. This means that meeting the patient with openness and respect is essential in care. The experiences of an elderly woman receiving home nursing provide insight into a world many healthcare workers need to understand; meaning what is important in the encounter with the fragile old patient whose voice is not often heard in the society nor in research. Caring science with its person-oriented care clashes with the New Public Management's ideal for municipal health care in Norway, at the expense of the needs of the elderly patients.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This article aims to express the phenomenon of lived experience as presented by an elderly woman, more specifically her experience of care in home nursing run according to the principles of new public management.

METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN

The article is based on an empirical narrative in the form of an individual qualitative research interview.

FINDINGS

The patient has needs that cannot be defined without the nurse having an ethical understanding of what may be important in the patient´s lifeworld. The core findings are: Feeling disregarded as a human being, Broken agreements, Surrendering in anonymous relationships and Each day is a different day with altered needs.

CONCLUSION

The system of New Public Management sets a strain on the time at hand for the nurse to develop a relationship that acknowledges and supports the patient´s life courage. The ethical demand and care ethics can explain how the patient´s will to live can be preserved, and provide knowledge of how the caregiver can best attend to the patient's ways of expressing what is important to her. Nevertheless, within the time at disposal, the nurse has an opportunity to either marginalize or strengthen the old person´s dignity.