Old people receiving municipal care, their experiences of what constitutes a good life in the last phase of life: A qualitative study
Section snippets
What is already known about the topic?
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Most people will die in advanced age and after a period of needing help and care from others.
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Decreased functional ability is common in old age and is well known to affect QoL negatively.
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Older people prioritise other areas in life than younger people do.
What this paper adds
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Aspects that contribute to a good life in the last phase of life includes the possibility to maintaining dignity, enjoy small things, still being important for other people, to feel “being at home” and having the possibility to complete life while facing death. Being in the hands of others also contributes to a good life, but also means having to adjust.
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An important component in the nursing care of old people at the end of life proved to be endorsing possibilities to reflect on the past and
Aim
The aim of the study was to investigate the experiences of aspects that bring about a good life in the last phase of life among people (75 years and older) receiving municipal help and care.
Method
The study was based on interviews with older people in their last phase of life. The criteria for inclusion were being 75 years or older, receiving help and/or care from the municipality, having a life-threatening disease and/or receiving palliative care, and being able to communicate verbally and participate in an interview. In Sweden, the municipalities are mainly responsible for nursing care, rehabilitation and service to older people, hereafter referred to as municipal care. This care and
Findings
The impression of text was that the life situation in the last phase of life could be understood in one overall theme, Turning inwards to come to peace with the past, the present and approaching death while being trapped by health complaints. The life situation was heavily coloured by health complaints such as pain, fatigue, and nausea, which limited life to an all-embracing extent and hindered maintaining the activities that had brought satisfaction in the previous everyday life. Health
Discussion
The aim of the study was to investigate the experiences of aspects that bring about a good life in the last phase of life. Interviews with 17 people receiving municipal care, being 75 years and older, were conducted. The results showed that the life situation in the last phase of life meant Turning inwards to come to peace with the past, the present and approaching death while being trapped by health complaints, and this could be understood in the categories Maintaining dignity, Enjoying the
Acknowledgements
We are sincerely grateful to the participants in this study who contributed their narratives during their last phase of life and also for the support concerning data collection from the nurses in the municipality. We are also most grateful to Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, and for financial support from Greta and Johan Koch's foundations and SSSH (Föreningen Södra Sveriges Sjuksköterskehem) and to Alan Crozier for revising the language.
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