• KSAN
  • Contact us
  • E-Submission

Korean J Adult Nurs : Korean Journal of Adult Nursing

OPEN ACCESS
mobile search button mobile menu button
Search
Advanced Search
ABOUT
BROWSE ARTICLES
EDITORIAL POLICY
FOR CONTRIBUTORS

Articles

Page Path

Original Article

The Elderly Spouses' Experiences of Providing Care for their Bedridden Patient at Home

Yeon Sil Cho, Ph.D., RN1, Sue Kyung Sohn, Ph.D., RN2
Korean Journal of Adult Nursing 2017;29(1):63-75.
Published online: February 28, 2017

1Nurse, Kosin University Hospital, Busan

2Professor, Department of Nursing, Kosin University, Busan, Korea

Corresponding author: Sohn, Sue Kyung Department of Nursing, Kosin University, 262 Gamcheon-ro, Seo-gu, Busan 49267, Korea. Tel: +82-51-990-6454, Fax: +82-51-990-3031, E-mail: sue@kosin.ac.kr
• Received: December 22, 2016   • Accepted: February 23, 2017

Copyright © 2017 Korean Society of Adult Nursing

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

  • 26 Views
  • 0 Download
  • 3 Crossref
  • 2 Scopus
prev next

Full Article

Download PDF Download PDF
  • Purpose
    This study was to explore and describe the reported experiences of elderly spouses who care their bedridden spouse in the home.
  • Methods
    The participants of this study were 14 male and female elderly spouses who live in B metropolitan city and have provided care for more than six months. Data were collected from July 3 to November 6, 2014. Data analysis was done simultaneously with data collection, using the analytical methods of Strauss and Corbin for Grounded theory.
  • Results
    The core category was identified as ‘going together bearing a heavy burden of care in old age.’ In this study, the caring process of elderly spouses can be explained in terms of three stages such as ‘a period of trial and error,’ ‘a period of mastering a role,’ and ‘a period of role transcendence’.
  • Conclusion
    The results of this study can provide an intervention framework to reduce the heavy burden of caring for an elderly spouse.
  • Key Words: Elderly; Spouses; Caring; Grounded theory
Figure 1.
Theoretical framework for going together bearing a heavy burden of care in old age.
kjan-29-63f1.jpg
Table 1.
Relationships among Categories using Paradigm Model
Subcategories Categories Paradigm element
․ Unable to send to convalescent hospital Wanting to take care of their bedridden spouse in the home Causal condition
․ Dislike to be a burden Wishing to relieve their adult children's burden
․ A life as model of good parents
․ Managed to take care of one's spouse alone Heavy burden of care in old age Central phenomenon
․ Lived as a helper in old ages
․ Exhausted
․ Prison without a grating
․ Compassionated Duties and responsibilities as a married couple Contextual condition
․ An obligated course
․ Repaying for the effort
․ One's pride is hurt Being sensitive to how they look to others
․ Encouraged by others' compliment
․ Supports from children Help of supportive systems Intervening condition
․ Institutional support
․ Experiencing financial difficulties Economic difficulties
․ Poor housing
․ Unskilled care Undergoing trial and error of care Action/ interactional strategies
․ Conflict between husband and wife
․ Living with resignation Accepting their present situation as a fate
․ Task of life
․ Self-management Learning how to cope with difficulties of life
․ Having self-confidence of nursing
․ Embracing with a heart Becoming a true companion of life
․ Leaning on each other
․ Living as a friend each other
․ Futile life Feeling the vanity of life Consequences
․ Anxious about the future Uncertainty of the future
․ Positive attitude Positive attitude to life
․ Living with self-satisfaction
  • 1.Korea insurance research institute. The 3.8 times increasement of geriatric disease medical expense for last six years. KIRI Weekly 2010 February 8;14..
  • 2.Statistics Korea. The survey on the actual conditions of older person in Korea [Internet]. Seoul: Statistics Korea; 2016. [cited 2016 November 18]. Available from:.http://kosis.kr/statHtml/statHtml.do?orgId=117&tblId=DT_11771_2011N055&conn_path=I2.
  • 3.Baik OM. Factors associated with functional health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults. Journal of Community Welfare. 2011;38:1-27.
  • 4.Kim EJ. Factors influencing cognitive impairment of the elderly residents. Journal of East-West Nursing Research. 2010;16(2):122-30.
  • 5.Ree KO, Lee MJ. A study on caregiving burden among family caregivers of impaired elderly. Journal of Korean Gerontological Society. 2000;20(2):215-28.
  • 6.Han SJ. Factors influencing quality of life of home care patient's primary caregiver. Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Care Nursing. 2010;17(2):144-55.
  • 7.Baek HC, Choi YJ. Identifying the needs of home care patient's family caregivers. Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Care Nursing. 2008;15(2):115-21.
  • 8.Given B, Stommel M, Collins C, King S, Given CW. Responses of elderly spouse caregivers. Research in Nursing & Health. 1990;13(2):77-85.
  • 9.Thommessen B, Aarsland D, Braekhus A, Oksengaard AR, En-gedal K, Laake K. The psychosocial burden on spouses of the elderly with stroke, dementia and Parkinson's disease. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2002;17(1):78-84. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.524.
  • 10.Lee SM, Kim HK. Elderly husbands' caregiving for their sick wives: narratives of husbands and wives. Family and Culture. 2009;21(4):63-94.
  • 11.Eun Y, Choi KS, Kim SJ. A Study on burden of older spouses of patients with chronic illness. Journal of Korean Gerontological Nursing. 1999;1(2):160-71.
  • 12.Han JH, Park YH. Caregiver's burden and quality of life of male spouses with stroke wives. Korean Journal of Adult Nursing. 2012;24(6):615-26.
  • 13.Jeon SN. A grounded theory on the caregiving experiences for the rural elderly males who caring for their wives of stroke patients. Journal of Korean Gerontological Society. 2007;16:105-28.
  • 14.Choi HK. A ground theory study on elderly male caregivers of spouses: focused on the structure and types of care. Family and Culture. 2012;24(4):45-81.
  • 15.Gregory DM, Peters N, Cameron CF. Elderly male spouses as caregivers: toward an understanding of their experience. Journal of Gerontological Nursing. 1990;16(3):20-4.
  • 16.Medina MV, Haltiwanger EP, Funk KP. The experience of chronically ill elderly Mexican-American men with spouses as care-givers. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics. 2011;29(3):189-201. https://doi.org/10.3109/02703181.2011.587636.
  • 17.Jang HYHermeneutic phenomenological study on caring experience of the spouses of elderly people with dementia. [dissertation]. Seoul: Seoul National University; 2014.
  • 18.Kim NY. A study on long-term care financing and providers in the United States and its policy implications. Health and Welfare Policy Forum. 2010;168(10):45-56. http://repository.kihasa.re.kr:8080/handle/201002/4343.
  • 19.Strauss AL, Corbin JMBasics of qualitative research: techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; 1998.
  • 20.Lincoln YS, Guba EGNaturalistic Inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications; 1985.
  • 21.Han GH, Lee SY. The effect of motivation and social support on burden of spouse caregivers: focused on gender differences. Journal of Korean Gerontological Society. 2009;29(2):683-99.
  • 22.Kim SYThe experience of primary caregivers of bed ridden patients receiving home health care service. [dissertation]. Seoul: Hanyang University; 2013.
  • 23.Lee HA. Caregiver burden in caring for elders before and after long-term care service in Korea. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing. 2012;42(2):236-47.
  • 24.Lee JW, Lee HA, Hwang JH. Awareness of Korean elderly on aged life. Journal of Korean Gerontological Society. 2011;31(3):711-32.
  • 25.Chung MS. Factors affecting quality of life in the elderly. Journal of Welfare for the Aged. 2007;37:249-73.
  • 26.Song IS, Yoo EK. A study on the stress of the family caregiver caring the elderly hospitalized by chronic illness. Hanyang Journal of Medicine. 1998;18(2):187-96.
  • 27.Kim TS, Seo SN. A qualitative approach of the elderly's lives through the life history research: focused on the elderly who lived home. Journal of Welfare for the Aged. 2012;53:291-318.
  • 28.Choi KS. Eun Y. A theory construction on the care experience for spouses of patients with chronic illness. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing. 2000;30(1):122-36.

Figure & Data

References

    Citations

    Citations to this article as recorded by  
    • Mechanism for meeting the care of older adults in rural China—relying on spouse, offspring or community?
      Ziyue Dong, Jianliang Nie, Dan Li, Yufeng Wu
      BMC Geriatrics.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
    • Understanding the Roles of over 65-Year-Old Male and Female Carers: A Comparative Analysis of Informal Caregiving
      Purificación Ballester, Clara Pérez-Esteve, Alicia Sánchez-García, Eva Gil-Hernández, Mercedes Guilabert, José Joaquín Mira
      Geriatrics.2025; 10(3): 75.     CrossRef
    • Validity and Reliability of the Korean Version of the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire–Carer
      JuHee Lee, Young H. Sohn, Seok Jong Chung, Sung Hae Kim, Yujin Suh, Jungah Park, Yielin Kim
      Journal of Clinical Neurology.2023; 19(6): 547.     CrossRef

    Download Citation

    Download a citation file in RIS format that can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Reference Manager.

    Format:

    Include:

    The Elderly Spouses' Experiences of Providing Care for their Bedridden Patient at Home
    Korean J Adult Nurs. 2017;29(1):63-75.   Published online February 28, 2017
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.7475/kjan.2017.29.1.63
    Download Citation
    Download a citation file in RIS format that can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Reference Manager.
    Format:
    • RIS — For EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and most other reference management software
    • BibTeX — For JabRef, BibDesk, and other BibTeX-specific software
    Include:
    • Citation for the content below
    The Elderly Spouses' Experiences of Providing Care for their Bedridden Patient at Home
    Korean J Adult Nurs. 2017;29(1):63-75.   Published online February 28, 2017
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.7475/kjan.2017.29.1.63
    Close

    Figure

    • 0
    The Elderly Spouses' Experiences of Providing Care for their Bedridden Patient at Home
    Image
    Figure 1. Theoretical framework for going together bearing a heavy burden of care in old age.

    Figure 1.

    The Elderly Spouses' Experiences of Providing Care for their Bedridden Patient at Home

    Relationships among Categories using Paradigm Model

    Subcategories Categories Paradigm element
    ․ Unable to send to convalescent hospital Wanting to take care of their bedridden spouse in the home Causal condition
    ․ Dislike to be a burden Wishing to relieve their adult children's burden
    ․ A life as model of good parents
    ․ Managed to take care of one's spouse alone Heavy burden of care in old age Central phenomenon
    ․ Lived as a helper in old ages
    ․ Exhausted
    ․ Prison without a grating
    ․ Compassionated Duties and responsibilities as a married couple Contextual condition
    ․ An obligated course
    ․ Repaying for the effort
    ․ One's pride is hurt Being sensitive to how they look to others
    ․ Encouraged by others' compliment
    ․ Supports from children Help of supportive systems Intervening condition
    ․ Institutional support
    ․ Experiencing financial difficulties Economic difficulties
    ․ Poor housing
    ․ Unskilled care Undergoing trial and error of care Action/ interactional strategies
    ․ Conflict between husband and wife
    ․ Living with resignation Accepting their present situation as a fate
    ․ Task of life
    ․ Self-management Learning how to cope with difficulties of life
    ․ Having self-confidence of nursing
    ․ Embracing with a heart Becoming a true companion of life
    ․ Leaning on each other
    ․ Living as a friend each other
    ․ Futile life Feeling the vanity of life Consequences
    ․ Anxious about the future Uncertainty of the future
    ․ Positive attitude Positive attitude to life
    ․ Living with self-satisfaction
    Table 1. Relationships among Categories using Paradigm Model

    Table 1.

    Korean J Adult Nurs : Korean Journal of Adult Nursing

    ABOUT

    BROWSE ARTICLES 

    EDITORIAL POLICY

    FOR CONTRIBUTORS  

    © Korean Society of Adult Nursing.
    TOP