Living with severe chronic heart failure in palliative advanced home care.

• BACKGROUND: Living with severe chronic heart failure (CHF) in palliative care has been little studied. AIM: The aim of this study is to illuminate meaning of living with severe CHF in palliative advanced home care through patients' narratives. METHODS: Narrative interviews were conducted with 4 patients, tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A phenomenological-hermeneutic method was used to interpret the text. RESULTS: Meaning of living with severe CHF in palliative advanced home care emerged as 'knocking on death's door' although surviving. The course of the illness forces one to live a 'roller coaster life,' with an ongoing oscillation between ups and downs. Making it through the downs breeds a kind of confidence in one's ability to survive and the will to live is strong. Being offered a safety belt in the 'roller coaster' by the palliative advanced home care team evokes feelings of security. CONCLUSIONS: Meaning of living with severe CHF in palliative advanced home care is on one hand, being aware of one's imminent death, on the other hand, making it through the downs i.e. surviving life-threatening conditions, breed confidence in also surviving the current down. Being constructively dependent on palliative advanced home care facilitates everyday life at home.

Subject headings

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

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

Keyword

Activities of Daily Living

Adaptation; Psychological

Aged

Aged; 80 and over

Attitude to Death

Attitude to Health

Chronic Disease

Fear/psychology

Female

Geriatric Assessment

Heart Failure/prevention & control/*psychology

Home Care Services/organization & administration

Humans

Male

Nursing Methodology Research

Palliative Care/organization & administration/*psychology

Questionnaires

Self Care/psychology

Self Efficacy

Severity of Illness Index

Social Isolation

Social Support

Sweden

Caring sciences

Vårdvetenskap

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)