Purpose：This study aimed to clarify the structure of the perception of the family members who were primary care providers assisting non-gastrotomy older adults requiring home nursing care in eating.

Method：This study targeted participants included nine family members who were primary care providers assisting non-gastrotomy older adults requiring home nursing care with the help of home-visit nursing. A semi-structured interview was conducted on the perception of the participants toward "eating." Their responses were analyzed using the KJ method.

Result：The structure of the perception of family members who were primary care providers of older adults requiring nursing care for "eating" was integrated into three. Family members support [eating as a means of sustaining life and an activity] by [providing complete nursing care that includes food]. However, the relationship eventually shifts toward [being unable to stop the patient from losing the ability to eat], which contradicts the intention of the primary care provider.

Conclusion：Family members who were primary nursing care providers associate the "eating" of older adults requiring home nursing care with survival and vitality. They recognize that they were unable to do anything when the patient loses the ability to eat while taking responsibility for nursing care, including food. It was suggested that nursing care could be based on the perception structure of the family members who were primary care providers.

Purpose：The purpose of this study was to clarify how visiting nurses understood the support needs of children with medical complexity and their mothers in the early period of home care.

Method：Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six visiting nurses who were caring for children. qualitative and descriptive analyses of the results were performed.

Result：The results showed that the early period of home care could be classified into five categories: “The visiting nurse can sense the mother’s stress and comfort from the situation her and her child during the initial visit.” “The visiting nurse dares to asks and understands the policy on parenting and acute deterioration during the initial visit,” “The visiting nurse understands the mother’s fear of the nurse not being able to protect the life entrusted to her from the mother's words,” “The visiting nurse understands the mother’s struggles from her comments and the way she balances her life with caring for her child,” “The visiting nurse inspects the home life of the children and their parents to understand whether the children are being cared for effectively and can enjoy their home lives.”

Conclusion：The visiting nurses inferred the situation of the mother and child during their transition to home and elicited experiences from the mother's appearance, words, and actions. Also, the visiting nurses understood not only the development of attachment but also their support needs from the perspective of whether the children were "living as children".

Purpose：The purpose of this study is to clarify the process of building a home care life for patients with medical procedures.

Methods：As a method of study, we conducted semi-structural interviews with 6 home care recipients and used the Grounded Theory Approach for analysis.

Result：The subject had decided on the《choice of future in despair》 due to the《desire not to be a burden on the family》and the《determination to perform untested medical procedures at home》. The subject used the agonizing experience of 《the anguish of finding a place to live as a sick person》 and 《the frustration of living a life dependent on uncertain supporters》 as sustenance for themselves, and took【steps to break the status quo】. By striving to《do what they can do by themselves》, they experienced a change in their feelings, such as 《a budding desire to be involved with others》,《regaining herself with the support of others》, and 《a budding desire to help others》.

Conclusion：It was suggested that supporters need to provide support to help the patient achieve self-realization as an individual, based on a relationship as a partner in building a treatment life in which the patient can live with the disease, so that the patient can 【step out to break the status quo】.

Objective：This study clarifies the effects of peer support received from participation in family caregivers’ groups and the associated factors to assess ways to support family caregivers who provide in-home care to older adults requiring long-term care.

Methods：The effects of peer support were investigated through an anonymous self-administered questionnaire completed by family caregivers who have participated in family caregivers’ groups and provide care to older adults requiring long-term care.

Results：Of the 38 questionnaires distributed, 30 were returned （response rate: 78.9%），with 29 valid responses. The mean age of the caregivers was 68.7 （±8.7） years, and that of care recipients was 84.5 （±8.2） years. “Emotional support” was the most common effect of peer support received from participation in family caregivers’ groups. There was no significant association between the effects of peer support received from family caregivers’ groups and the associated factors.

Conclusion：Family caregivers who provide in-home care to older adults requiring long-term care received emotional support from participation in family caregivers’ groups. This suggests the need for family caregivers’ groups that are open to participation by anyone, regardless of their care situation.

Objective：A community general support center （CGSC） is a core organization that supports older adults living in a community, stipulated in the Long-Term Care Insurance Act. Three professional workers including public health nurses, social workers, and senior care managers are assigned to a CGSC to provide overall consultation on health and welfare as well as prevention of long-term frailty. Public health nurses working for a CGSC take unique responsibilities different from those who work for administrative health sections. Therefore, public health nurses transferred from an administrative health sector to a CGSC, often find difficulties in conducting their duties. The objective of this study was to clarify behavioral characteristics of expert public health nurses in a CGSC and to constitute a competency list specific to CGSC.

Method：Qualitative descriptive approach was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted targeting 10 full-time public health nurses. The inclusion criteria were; 1） more than five-years of experience in a CGSC, and 2） more than three-years of experience in an administrative health section. The interviews were recorded and prescribed. Expert behavioral characteristics were extracted and coded. Categories were generated according to similarities in the content, and constituted as a competency list. An expert panel was then created to review validity of the competency list.

Results：Twenty categories and 80 list of competencies were extracted, grouped into 5 areas including “individual support,” “community development,” “teamwork among three professionals at a community general support center,” “self-improvement,” and “job management”.

Conclusion：This list consisted of 2 areas that support older adults with residents in the community and 3 areas that correspond as an organization of a CGSC.

Purpose：This study aims to understand the mental state of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis （ALS） patients living at home, who selected Tracheostomy Positive Pressure Ventilation （TPPV）, their views on ALS disease, and their lives.

Method：Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight ALS patients treated with TPPV. The interview guides asked the question, “How can you accept your disease and sustain your belief?” and their responses were recorded. A verbatim record was created from the recorded data, and its contents were analyzed qualitatively and inductively.

Results：The views of the patients with ALS were extracted as follows: aiming to live with ALS, staying true to themselves because they realize the ephemeral nature of life, realizing deeper family bonds, and their desire for a society where everyone can live equally and comfortably.

Conclusion：ALS patients realize the ephemeral nature of life, and there is no time like the present, and want to regard it as important to deepen their bonds with those around them. In addition, they adopt things necessary in life from their experience, aiming to establish society where they can live in the same way as people with no disability．Patients with ALS can live true to themselves like people without any disability. Understanding the thoughts and values of ALS patients, Medical professionals need to construct together the society which they aim for.