Elderly peoples' experience of nursing care after a stroke: from a gender perspective.

Aim: This paper is a report of a study conducted to explore, from a gender perspective, older people's experiences of nursing care after a stroke.

Background: Little attention has been given to gender differences in nursing care. The majority of people who have a stroke are older. Improving knowledge of the gender perspectives of older men and women regarding nursing care after stroke is crucial.

Method: This was a qualitative study based on interviews with five women and five men between 66 and 75 years of age, who had received nursing care at a ward for stroke rehabilitation. The data were collected in 2006. Qualitative content analysis of the interviews was carried out.

Findings: A main theme and five categories, all common to both men and women, were identified. The main theme, to promote recovery of the body, encompassed the categories. There were, however, gender differences in how the nursing care received was experienced. The ways patients experienced nursing care seemed to be linked with their lives as women and men before they had the stroke. Their perceptions are linked with their lives as women and men before they had their stroke. Both men and women will reclaim former abilities but what they perceive to be the goals of nursing care and rehabilitation may differ.

Conclusion: Nurses need to increase their awareness and knowledge concerning the similarities and gender differences in the experiences and needs of older people, both men and women.