Abstract
The aims of this research were to clarify the experiences of children with chronic diseases and their families during the transition period from leaving hospital until feeling 'settled' in daily routines of home care, and also to examine ways of providing support during this process. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 10 people in 8 families introduced by the Home-Visit Nursing Station, and results were categorized according to experience at home and then subsumed into themes. The early period of home care is a period of "protecting the child's life in a state of confusion" where the doctor's advice is used as a point of reference while dealing head-on with the problems emerging in home care, all the time completely wrapped up in protecting the child's life. The stage at which families start to try to create life stability through adjustment is the stage at which "evaluative ability develops together with use of surrounding resources". Once the family is able to organize their life according to their own situation, they reach the stage of "constantly changing life, with decisions made by the family and the child". As far as methods of support are concerned, instruction and guidance are necessary at the immediate post-transition stage, support for judgments and information provision are necessary at the adjustment stage, and plentiful information provision centred on social resources, together with support of the family's treatment methods, is necessary in the family-directed stage.
