Mid Sweden University

The Sami people who are the natives of Scandinavia are not a homogeneous group. They consist of differ- ent groups of Sami populations of which the South Sami population are one small group. For the South Sami this means a problem; they have to struggle against a general ignorance about the Sami people and culture, which also may affect received home nursing care. The aim of this study is to describe in- dividual South Sami experiences of being old and re- ceiving home nursing care. A sample of 10 older per- sons with South Sami background was chosen for this study. Narrative interviews were conducted and qualitative content analysis was used to identify and categorize primary patterns in data. The experience of being an old person with South Sami background who receives home nursing care was understood through the use of the following four themes devel- oped from the informants’ own narratives: “Experi- ence of losses in life”; “Feelings of being less valued”; “Feelings of gratitude”; and “Experience of meaning in daily life as old”. The main finding is that the South Sami population still is exposed to an ongoing subtle colonisation. Therefore, it is important to pre- pare and teach nurses who work in the South Sami area in cultural care, traditional values and beliefs specific to the South Sami population. 

The amount of older people receiving home nursing care is increasing; in rural areas, they are at additional risk because of the distance between people and health care facilities. No specific studies have been found about oldest old men living alone and receiving home nursing care and the meaning of living alone in one's own home. The aim of this study was therefore to illuminate the meaning of being an oldest old man living alone in a rural area and receiving home nursing care. A sample of 12 oldest old men living in rural areas in the middle of Norway was chosen for this study. Narrative interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed using the phenomenological hermeneutical method. After a naive reading and a structural analysis of the text, we identified three themes: feelings of insufficiency in everyday life, finding hope in life, and feeling reconciliation with life. The comprehensive understanding suggested that being an oldest old man living alone in a rural area means a struggle between a dependent existence and a desire to be independent. Living in the tension between independence and dependency is a complex emotional situation where one is trying to accept the consequences of life and loss-reconciling the wish to live with the fact that life will come to an end.

In Western countries, the number of older people receiving home nursing care is increasing, and in rural areas they are at additional risk because of the distance between people and health care facilities. The aim of this study was therefore to illuminate the meaning of being an oldest old woman living alone in a rural area and receiving home nursing care. A sample of 11 oldest old women living in rural areas in the middle of Norway was chosen for this study. Narrative interviews were conducted, and the data were analyzed using the phenomenological hermeneutic method. After a naïve reading and a structural analysis of the text, we identified four themes: being satisfied with life, being thankful, feeling vulnerable, and feeling secure. The comprehensive understanding implied that being an oldest old woman living alone in a rural area meant living in the intersection between embracing the present in solitude and fearing the future with additional declining health. Living in this complex situation meant to enjoy the present, but still fear the future, as the oldest old women knew their present life situations were limited. This challenging emotional situation meant using their inner strength by trying to be optimistic and seeing opportunities in present life, even if losses were many and extensive. By using their inner strength in facing losses and declining health, the oldest old women managed to appreciate aloneness as solitude, and find new meaning in life.

The rapidly increasing population of older persons worldwide, and the fact that the majority of them want to continue living in their own homes, mean there is a growing focus on home based care. Because of this, it is necessary to increase the number of studies, including rural areas, as earlier studies are sparse. Rural areas cannot be seen as a homogeneous phenomenon, meaning more research is needed to increase knowledge about cultural differences in rural areas. The aim of this study was therefore to describe registered nurses’ experiences of providing home nursing care to oldest old persons living alone in rural areas. A sample of 15 registered nurses in rural South Sami areas was chosen for this study, 13 women and 2 men. Narrative interviews were conducted, and qualitative content analysis was used to interpret the data. The analysis revealed four themes and eight subthemes in addition to a core-theme. The latent meaning of the themes “Feeling responsible”, “Trying to accommodate”, “Being challenged” and “Feeling significant” formed the core-theme: contradictions between nurses’ ideals of being professional and the reality faced in rural home nursing care with close social relationships. The findings in this study showed that the experiences of providing home nursing care in rural areas to oldest old persons were multifaceted and altering, as well as emotionally and socially contradictory.