What matters to older African Americans facing end-of-life decisions? A focus group study.
BACKGROUND
To better understand what matters to African American elders who are faced with issues of death, dying, and end-of-life care, a qualitative study was conducted to elicit their perspective.


METHODS
Focus groups were convened across the state of Connecticut. A total of 196 individuals participated in the 90-minute interview sessions. Using an interview guide, a trained moderator conducted the racially homogeneous discussion groups. Transcriptions of the group narratives with 22 older African Americans were coded to identify themes. Data were organized and analyzed using NUD-IST 4 and constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis.


RESULTS
Five major themes emerged from the focus group data on older African Americans: (1) spirituality, (2) burden on family, (3) trust, (4) health insurance coverage, and (5) cultural concerns.


CONCLUSIONS
Recommendations are made for outreach education, involvement of informal helpers, and a level of acceptability in practice for diverse care needs.
Bullock
Karen
K
School of Social Work, University of Connecticut, Hartford Hospital, 1798 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117, USA. karen.bullock@uconn.edu
McGraw
Sarah A
SA
Blank
Karen
K
Bradley
Elizabeth H
EH
D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D007348:Insurance, Health; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029181:Spirituality; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*; D035502:Trust / Q000523:psychology