ABSTRACT
AIM: To examine factors that influence the health of older widows and widowers. The review question was: What is the evidence of the relationship between widowhood and health in older adults? DESIGN: Systematic review. DATA SOURCES: Academic Search Elite, CINAHL, Medline (Ovid) and PubMed were searched for articles published between January 2013-December 2017. REVIEW METHODS: A systematic review of quantitative research with a qualitative thematic analysis. RESULTS: The selection process resulted in 12 studies. One of the themes that emerged was: emotional challenges related to experiences of bereavement, depression and anxiety, which was based on the sub-theme social support as the main strategy for coping with emotional pain and suffering. The second theme was: struggling with poor physical health. The findings indicate that healthcare professionals need knowledge and skills to deal with the health consequences of widowhood in old age. Building community teams can prevent emotional and physical health problems, as well as reduce mortality.
ABSTRACT
Aim: The aim of this study was to explore first-line nurse managers' perceptions of the challenges involved in decision-making concerning older patients who wish to die. Design: A descriptive qualitative design in three communities in Norway between January 2016 and June 2016. Methods: Qualitative focus group interviews with eight first-line nurse managers. Results: One main theme and two themes were identified: Struggling to make the right decision, The challenge of social isolation and loneliness and When life becomes too painful and problematic. The sub-themes revealed that: Arranging social meeting places where the older patients can talk to other older people is crucial. The participants explained that it was not an easy task to gain an overview of the older patients situation. The right decision could be encouraging the patients to talk about their problems by giving them more time, thereby showing that somebody cares about them.
