Encounters in Swedish nursing homes: a hermeneutic study of residents' experiences.

J Adv Nurs

Institute of Health and Care Sciences, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden.

Published: October 2007

Aim: This paper is a report of a study to illuminate and interpret the meaning of residents' experiences of encounters with nurses in nursing homes. BACKGROUND; A large number of older people suffer from illness and become dependent on other people in their daily living. These people are often in need of care in nursing homes. It is assumed that encounters between nurses and residents are of importance in how residents experience care in nursing homes.

Method: Twelve residents from three nursing homes in Sweden were interviewed in 2004-2005 about their experiences in encounters with nurses. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A hermeneutic method was used to describe and interpret the meaning of residents' experiences.

Findings: Three themes emerged: 'being somebody', 'being nobody' and 'being in a community'. The encounters had both positive and negative influences on residents, expressed as being somebody and belonging somewhere or being nobody and not being seen as a person or simply being left out of things. Encounters between residents and nurses have a mutual dependency where residents certainly have some influence on the relationship. The nurses have both an influence on the relationship and a professional responsibility for the outcome of encounters with residents.

Conclusion: The insights gained from the study can guide nurses in their encounters with residents in nursing homes so that they feel respected as unique human beings and part of a community.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04396.xDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

nursing homes
20
encounters nurses
12
encounters
8
residents' experiences
8
interpret meaning
8
meaning residents'
8
experiences encounters
8
care nursing
8
encounters residents
8
influence relationship
8

Similar Publications

Nudging in the nursing home: A qualitative interpretive study.

Int J Nurs Stud Adv

June 2025

Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, OsloMet-Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway.

Background: Nudging involves deliberately changing the environment or context to induce better choices. Several studies consider such methods unethical manipulation that threatens the principles of informed consent and autonomy, which are particularly vital in healthcare. Others argue that nudging respects personal freedom because it is not in conflict with the person's explicit values or choices, beneficial, and easy to resist.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nursing staffing and skill mix in nursing homes in Italy: An observational cross-sectional study.

Geriatr Nurs

January 2025

Ordine delle Professioni Infermieristiche di Bergamo, via Pietro Rovelli 45, Bergamo 24125, Italy.

Introduction/objective: The relationship between staffing levels and skill mix in nursing homes is poorly documented in Italy. This study aimed to investigate nursing staffing levels and skill mix in Northern Italian nursing homes.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using a questionnaire sent to several nursing homes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: We aimed to investigate the association of sociodemographic, clinical and functional characteristics with the volume of transitions and specific trajectories across living and care settings.

Methods: Using data from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen study, we identified transitions across home (with or without social care), nursing homes, hospitals and postacute care facilities among 3021 adults aged 60+. Poisson and multistate models were used to investigate the association between sociodemographic, clinical and functional characteristics and both the overall volume and hazard ratios (HRs) of specific transitions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Predicting health-related outcomes can help with proactive healthcare planning and resource management. This is especially important on the older population, an age group growing in the coming decades. Considering longitudinal rather than cross-sectional information from primary care electronic health records (EHRs) can contribute to more informed predictions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Developing a Health Support System to Promote Care for the Elderly.

Sensors (Basel)

January 2025

Physiological Controls Research Center, University Research and Innovation Center, Obuda University, 1034 Budapest, Hungary.

In light of the demographic shift towards an aging population, there is an increasing prevalence of dementia among the elderly. The negative impact on mental health is preventing individuals from taking proper care of themselves. For individuals requiring hospital care, those receiving home care, or as a precaution for a specific individual, it is advantageous to utilize monitoring equipment to track their biological parameters on an ongoing basis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!