Views on dignity of elderly nursing home residents.
Discussion about a dignified death has almost exclusively been applied to palliative care and people dying of cancer. As populations are getting older in the western world and living with chronic illnesses affecting their everyday lives, it is relevant to broaden the definition of palliative care to include other groups of people. The aim of the study was to explore the views on dignity at the end of life of 12 elderly people living in two nursing homes in Sweden. A hermeneutic approach was used to interpret the material, which was gathered during semi-structured interviews. A total of 39 interviews were transcribed. The analysis revealed three themes: (1) the unrecognizable body; (2) fragility and dependency; and (3) inner strength and a sense of coherence.
Franklin
Lise-Lotte
LL
Department of Health Sciences, Orebro University, Sweden. lise-lotte.franklin@hi.oru.se
Ternestedt
Britt-Marie
BM
Nordenfelt
Lennart
L
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000369:Aged, 80 and over / Q000523:psychology*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001828:Body Image; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000523:psychology*; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D012297:Right to Die; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden