Experience at Home for the Elderly with Higher Brain Dysfunction

Abstract

  The purpose of this study is to clarify what kind of experiences elderly with higher brain dysfunction have in their home life. The subjects are 11 elderly people over 65 years old who developed higher brain dysfunction and lived at home after hospitalization. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with these subjects and the obtained data was analyzed qualitatively and descriptively. As a result, nine categories were extracted such as [I am frustrated that I can't do what I could do before] [I realize my body is weakening] [I have communication problems with the people around me] [I imagine my future and have anxiety] [I continue to keep records on my condition] [I cope with what I can do now] [I feel valued] [I rely on people close to me without hesitation] [I never give up on achieving my goals]Elderly with higher brain dysfunction who live at home tend to lose their self esteem because they cannot do what they could do before, and are more likely to fall into social and mental isolation. Nurses need to focus on what elderly with higher brain dysfunction can currently do and encourage them to utilize their skills.