Temporary confusion : a fearful experience

• Older people admitted to hospital often develop acute temporary confusion. Earlier studies have focused on problems in providing care to the confused, causes of the confusion and the key aspects of caring. The aims of this study were to describe, from a nursing perspective, how older people experienced the phenomenon of temporary confusion and to describe the older peoples’ reasoning when they described their experiences. Interviews with five older informants who had recovered from their confusional state were conducted and analysed using the phenomenological method. Two phenomena were studied, ‘being temporarily confused’ and ‘reasoning about experiences of temporary confusion’, each was found to be represented by four inter-related constituents. The phenomena can be understood as aspects of suffering and power imbalance between staff and older people.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Övrig annan samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Older people and ageing

Äldre och åldrande

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)