Assistant nurses’ descriptions of signs of dying among older people in nursing homes
Sammanfattning
Background: In Sweden, assistant nurses are the group of professionals who have a great deal of contact with older, dying persons in nursing homes. They have substantial experience in this area. It is therefore important that their voices are heard about their experience of how they identify that an older person is dying.
Aim: The purpose was to describe assistant nurses' experiences of signs of dying among older people in nursing homes.
Method: A qualitative manifest content analysis was used. Four interviews were performed with eight experienced assistant nurses, individually or in groups, from two nursing homes.
Findings: The result is characterized by the assistant nurses' descriptions of both subtle and manifest signs that an older person is dying. The analysis led to two categories: “the older person expresses insight” and “the older person's body changes”. The first of these mainly involved observations of psychosocial changes, while the second mainly contained observations of bodily changes.
Conclusion: The clinical experiences as the assistant nurses achieve give valuable incitements for creating good palliative care. The assistant nurses must be seen as a significant part of the care team. They should be offered continuous education and support regarding palliative care in order to develop their skills and practical knowledge.