Abstract
The purpose of this study is to clarify experiences of nurses who provide terminal care for unresponsive elderly patients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 nurses for qualitative and descriptive analysis. As a result, three categories were determined, including: "to support people to 'live' as they choose until the end," "to focus on terminal care while discovering values in the care they provide" and "to be distressed by conflicts surrounding the 'meaning of life." Nurses were providing support to help people to live as they choose as a human being, as long as their lives continue under any circumstances on the basis of care to "support the elderly to 'live on' as they choose to the last breath. Nurses "who aim at terminal care while discovering values in the care they provide" positively worked on care, thriving on small joy through involvement. On the other hand, nurses "who are distressed by conflicts surrounding the 'meaning of life' were in a situation of losing confidence, suggesting the need for support to alleviate psychological burdens.
