| Theme | Reconsidering caring of 75 years of age or older dialysis patients | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | What the elderly patients experience in and about their dialysis therapy | |
| Publish Date | 2016/03 | |
| Author | Michiko Tanaka | Department of Nursing, Kusatsu General Hospital |
| [ Summary ] | It has been pointed out that the elderly patients most poorly accept a dialysis treatment because of their declined cognitive functions. I consider that they implicate their medical treatment lives as matters different from acceptance of dialysis. This study aimed to analyze the experiences of elderly patients on dialysis, who living with medical treatment. I conducted a semi-structured interview with four elderly patients on dialysis aged over 75 years. When living with the medical treatment, the elderly patients were motivated to live and made efforts to live with the treatment as best as they could. This was because they had higher expectations from living with the medical treatment, and used these experiences (recognizing the values of their own existence) to improve their human relationships. It is important for nurses to empathize with elderly patients on dialysis living with the medical treatment and to deepen cooperation with the patients' families and regions in supporting them. |
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