| 1. |
- Aléx, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Balancing within various discourses--the art of being old and living as a Sami woman.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Health Care for Women International. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0739-9332 .- 1096-4665. ; 27:10, s. 873-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this part of the Umeå 85+ Study was to explore how indigenous women narrate their lives and their experience of being old as Sami women. Interviews with 9 old Sami women were analyzed using grounded theory. The categories identified were "reindeer as the basis of life," "longing for significant Sami values," "feeling valued as a Sami woman," and "changing for survival;" these evolved into the core category: "balancing within various discourses-the art of being old and living as a Sami woman." Knowing how to balance provided the ability to make use of available opportunities.
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| 2. |
- Aléx, Lena, 1948-, et al.
(författare)
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Construction of masculinities among men aged 85 and older in the north of Sweden.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Nursing. - : Wiley. - 0962-1067 .- 1365-2702. ; 17:4, s. 451-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM: The aim was to analyse the construction of masculinities among men aged 85 and older. BACKGROUND: All societies have a gender order, constructed from multiple ideas of what is seen as feminine and masculine. As the group of men aged 85 and older is increasing in size and their demand for care will increase, we must recognize the importance of studying these men and various discourses of masculinities. DESIGN: Qualitative explorative. METHODS: Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse thematic narratives. Masculinity theories provided the point of departure for the analysis. RESULTS: The analysis coalesced into three masculinities. 'Being in the male centre', developed from subthemes as: taking pride in one's work and economic situation; being in the centre in relation to others; regarding women as sexual objects; and belonging to a select group. 'Striving to maintain the male facade' developed from subthemes as: emphasizing 'important' connections; having feelings of loss; striving to maintain old norms and rejecting the fact of being old. 'Being related' was formulated from subthemes as: feeling at home with domestic duties; being concerned; accepting one's own aging; and reflecting on life. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates the importance of being aware of the existence of multiple masculinities, in contrast to the generally unproblematic and unsubtle particular healthcare approaches which consider men as simply belonging to one masculinity. Relevance to clinical practice. Diverse masculinities probably affect encounters between men and healthcare providers and others who work with an older population and therefore our results are of importance in a caring context.
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| 3. |
- Aléx, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Constructions of various femininities among the oldest old women.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Health Care for Women International. - Washington, D.C. : Informa UK Limited. - 0739-9332 .- 1096-4665. ; 27:10, s. 853-72
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study forms part of the Umeå 85+ Study, and the aim was to explore various gendered constructions of femininities among the oldest old women. Femininities are seen as various ways of shaping oneself as a woman in relation to the impact of historical, social, and cultural circumstances. Thematic narratives were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Through interpreting these narratives in the light of gender theories, we were able to discern four femininities: "being connected," "being an actor," "living in the shadow of others," and "being alienated." The oldest old women displayed complex outlooks on femininities, and no femininity was interpreted as being in the center related to the other femininities. Further research is needed in order to disclose the complexity of femininities related to factors such as social class, ethnicity, and financial situation among the oldest old, and to acquire a greater knowledge of various femininities.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Davidsson, Anette, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Quantitative Assessment and Repeatability of Chlorine in Exhaled Breath Condensate : Comparison of Two Types of Condensators
- 2005
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Ingår i: Respiration. - : S. Karger AG. - 0025-7931 .- 1423-0356. ; 72:5, s. 529-536
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Airway condition is presumably reflected in epithelial lining fluid (ELF). Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) has been used as a surrogate marker of the composition of ELF. Objectives: This study aimed at assessing the technical repeatability of chlorine measurements in EBC and comparing two separate condensators (Ecoscreen® and R Tube™) regarding recovery and repeatability. Furthermore, the association between condensate recoveries and variations in the airway status were scrutinized. Methods: EBC was collected using two condensators from 10 healthy volunteers. In addition, 13 asthmatic patients produced EBC with or without an added resistance of 5 cm H2O (Res5), applied to the outflow tract of Ecoscreen. All tests were done in random order. Chlorine levels (analyzed by a coulometric technique) in EBC served as a tool for investigation. Results: Chlorine was measurable in all samples. The coefficient of repeatability of chlorine measurements was <10%. Chlorine levels were higher in EBC obtained from R Tube (p < 0.001), and differences in recoveries and variability in chlorine levels were presumably related to technical differences in the condensators and not to the repeatability of chlorine measurements per se. Air-flow-dependent chlorine levels were obtained from healthy volunteers. Application of Res5, recruiting additional alveoli, resulted in increased recovery of the EBC volume, but not of chlorine, from those that had the most pronounced airway obstruction (p = 0.05). Conclusion: We conclude that by employing a sensitive analysis technique, chlorine is repeatedly measurable in EBC. We suggest that the bulk of chlorine in EBC originates from large airways and not from the alveolar area. Both condensators were comparable regarding repeatability but differed regarding chlorine recover
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| 6. |
- Hägglund, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Depression among elderly people with and without heart failure, managed in a primary healthcare setting.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. - : Wiley. - 0283-9318 .- 1471-6712. ; 22:3, s. 376-382
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: Depression is common among patients with heart failure (HF) and among elderly in general. Problems in diagnosing and care planning can arise as symptoms of HF, dyspnoea and especially fatigue, are nonspecific and also overlap with symptoms of depression. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence and compare degrees of depression among patients with confirmed HF, patients with symptoms similar to HF (no heart failure, NHF) and a reference group in one primary healthcare centre (PHC), after adjusting for background characteristics and fatigue. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A descriptive case-reference study was conducted in one PHC in a middle-sized city. Participants were 49 patients with confirmed HF, 59 patients with symptoms similar to HF (NHF) and 40 people in a reference group. After informed consent data were collected by structured interviews using the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20. Odds ratios for the outcomes HF vs. NHF, HF vs. reference group, and NHF vs. reference group were calculated. RESULTS: The HF and NHF groups had similar degrees of depression which were significantly higher than for the reference group. This difference between the groups did not remain significant when adjusting for physical fatigue. More patients in the NHF than in the HF group were living alone and there were more women in the NHF than in the reference group. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of depression and degrees of fatigue were higher among elderly from a PHC who experienced HF symptoms, independent of objectively measured heart function, compared with elderly without such symptoms. When comparing degrees of depression between the three groups and adjusting for fatigue, the physical dimension of fatigue was of greater importance in explaining group differences.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Hägglund, Lena, 1954-
(författare)
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Man måste vila emellanåt : patienters självskattade och berättade erfarenheter av att leva med kronisk hjärtsvikt
- 2007
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall purpose was to explore the experience of living with chronic heart failure among patients in primary healthcare. Comparisons were made between patients with confirmed heart failure (HF, n=49), patients with symptoms indicating HF but with no HF (NHF, n=59), and a reference group (n=40). The mean age was 77 years. Patients in the HF and NHF groups had more general and physical fatigue, more reduced activity, worse physical quality of life and higher degree of depression compared with the reference group. The HF group had also higher degree of physical fatigue and worse physical quality of life than the NHF group. When comparing degrees of depression between the three groups and adjusting for fatigue, the physical dimension of fatigue was of greater importance in explaining group differences. In the HF group general fatigue was more closely related to limitations in role functioning for physical reasons than to reduced physical function per se. Women experienced more fatigue than men. Narrative interviews were conducted with ten women with confirmed heart failure, aged 73-89 years, with special reference to fatigue. The findings were presented in two themes, ‘living with the loss of physical energy’, and ‘striving for independence while being aware of deteriorating health’. The conclusion in study IV was in accordance with the results in the quantitative studies, indicating that the experience of HF or symptoms similar to HF had the greatest impact on the physical dimensions of fatigue and health-related quality of life. From a clinical perspective the findings in this thesis emphasize the importance of careful investigation of each patients experienced problems. In particular symptoms of depression and different dimensions of fatigue need to be analysed. Interventions aimed at reducing fatigue needs to be developed, and its further impact on health-related quality of life should be investigated.
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| 9. |
- Hägglund, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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The experience of fatigue among elderly women with chronic heart failure.
- 2008
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Ingår i: European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1474-5151 .- 1873-1953. ; 7:4, s. 290-295
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a common and distressing symptom in chronic heart failure (CHF). Most of the current methods for evaluating patients' symptoms fail to consider the meaning or importance that these symptoms have for the patient. AIM: To illuminate the lived experience of fatigue among elderly women with CHF. METHOD: Narrative interviews were conducted with 10 women with CHF, aged 73-89 years. Interviews were analysed with qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The findings are presented in two themes and five subthemes. The first theme, 'living with the loss of physical energy', was based on three subthemes describing the experience of fatigue: 'experiencing a substantial presence of feebleness and unfamiliar bodily sensations', 'experiencing unpredictable variations in physical ability', and 'needing help from others in daily life'. The second theme, 'striving for independence while being aware of deteriorating health', describes how the women managed their life situation; it was based on two subthemes: 'acknowledging one's remaining abilities', and 'being forced to adjust and struggle for independence'. CONCLUSIONS: Fatigue was experienced as loss of physical energy, leading to discrepancies between intention and capacity. The will to reduce dependency on others involved a daily struggle against fatigue.
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| 10. |
- Lundman, Berit, et al.
(författare)
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Fatigue in elderly with chronic heart failure : an under-recognized symptom
- 2009
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Ingår i: Aging Health. - : Future Medicine Ltd. - 1745-509X .- 1745-5103. ; 5:5, s. 619-624
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this secondary analysis of interviews with people with chronic heart failure, we examine living with fatigue in terms of obstacles and opportunities on personal, systemic and societal levels. On a personal level, people report that their bodies force them to rest, and to give in to and make space in their lives for fatigue. The need for rest is strong, but resting and inactivity are also regarded as dangerous. The healthcare system provides assistance through home care and technical equipment. However, society imposes obstacles, such as a lack of services in the immediate surroundings that prevent living well. In conclusion, people with chronic heart failure can manage their lives on a personal level by means of selection, optimization and compensation, and the healthcare system can provide further support; however, on a societal level there is lack of resources for those suffering from fatigue due to chronic heart failure.
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