The purpose of this study was to clarify nursing care provided by nurses for restrained elderly patients in ICU. The study subjects were 12 nurses. Data were collected through participant observation and semi-structured interviews concerning nurses' intentions about the care they provide. The collected data were qualitatively and inductively analyzed. As a result of the analysis, nine categories of care were identified: 【protecting patients' lives by using the effective restraint according to patients' conditions】,【helping patients understand their current condition】,【trying to understand the patients' thoughts and feelings that they are unable to express adequately】,【providing support to satisfy patients' desires】,【supporting patients' energy in order to recover】,【preventing complications and maintaining their life function】,【creating a calming environment for patients】,【maintaining the relationship between patients and their families】, and 【creating directionality for patients' recovery with their family】. These types of nursing care were given the meaning of preventive care to maintain restrained elderly patients' life function. It was considered that these types of care enhanced patients' motivation to recover and complied with the desire of the families of the elderly patients' under treatment in ICU.

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The purpose of this study was to describe the consciousness and behavior of relocated elders in developing new relationships with their neighbors. A qualitative descriptive method was used. Twenty-one participants who relocated to a snowy, cold region in Hokkaido were interviewed. Verbatim records were made and analyzed. The researcher explained the purpose of research and the ethical considerations to the participants by written document as well as verbally, and obtained their consent. The consciousness of relocated elderly people in developing new relationships with neighbors was classified into five categories: thinking of the importance of the relationship, being open-minded, being conscious of others' view, trying to capture the atmosphere, and affirming the present condition. Nine types of behavior for befriending neighbors were observed: being actively outgoing, being the first to say "hello", exchanging, responding to invitations, using chances in daily life, using information, selecting acceptable conditions, avoiding making enemies, and spending time. Relocated elderly people were conscious of themselves being observed by others, and building new relations carefully. Relocated elderly people who live alone thought of the relations with the neighbors as more important, and carried out positive actions.

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The purpose of this study was to clarify awareness of physical change in their daily lives among elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). The subjects were 11 elderly patients diagnosed with CHF and who are receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and then analyzed through qualitative descriptive analysis. As a result of the analysis, the following seven categories were identified with regard to how elderly CHF patients become aware of changes in their physical symptoms: [sudden or gradual occurrence of changes], [a sense of losing control over their body], [bearable or manageable pain], [harmony with their current state], [foreknowledge from critical conditions experienced in the past], [peculiar physical sensations], and [becoming aware through objective observation and information]. This study found that patients groped for words and used peculiar expressions to tell other of the physical changes that they experienced. It was also found that there was a possibility of a delay in treatment due to patients' self-judgment that the pain was bearable and manageable. In order for nurses to understand the changes that patients feel in their bodies, it is effective to create a place where patients can express themselves freely, and to listen to patients' thoughts and feelings, based on a thorough understanding of their desired state of health, inconveniences experienced in daily life, and critical conditions experienced in the past.

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The purpose of the present study was to clarify the challenges to the methods by which nurses, care workers and registered dieticians provided water in order to prevent dehydration in frail elderly at long-term care facilities. The methods of data collection were questionnaire and focus group interview. The subjects of the questionnaire were 168 nurses (40.2%), 160 care workers (38.1%) and 84 registered dieticians (20.0%), and 412 subjects (14.8%) responded with valid answers. The subjects of the focus group interviews were 3 nurses, 5 care workers and 3 registered dieticians. The results were as follows. The nurses and the care workers carried out observation of the elderly people's meal situation and their health condition every day with an assessment of dehydration. The registered dieticians collected data about the health status of elderly from other professionals. The main problems from the side of the elderly were several physical factors, such as loss of appetite, swallowing difficulty, dysphagia and low intake of water among older persons with dementia and terminal disease, while problems from the side of professionals were selection of unsuitable forms of food and low level of meal care skill. A form of support accompanied by various resources, such as introduction of jelly foods and their favorite food for prevention of dehydration, was considered among professionals. On the other hand, there were many problems with the selection of inappropriate forms of food, lack of skill in giving water, weakness of risk assessment and low safety of meal environment from the assistance side. It was suggested that the care skill of giving water incurred challenges to the individuality and dignity of elderly people, and professional education in this regard is required at long-term care facilities in the future.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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