- Title
- Changing family portraits: sudden existential absence during delirium: a phenomenological study of the lived experience of family members during their older person’s delirium
- Creator
- Day, Jennifer Lynn
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2014
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- The study presented in this thesis provides a description and interpretation of the experiences of family members during their older loved one’s delirium. Fourteen women, aged 51 to 74 years, participated in the study and, over an interview period of nineteen months, described their experiences. These twelve daughters and two wives supported and cared for their loved one at home, in residential aged care and/or while hospitalised. The approach used to explore the women’s experiences was existential phenomenology, informed by the philosophies of Sartre and Merleau-Ponty. Changing family portraits: Sudden existential absence during delirium depicts the women’s experiences during their older loved one’s delirium. Existential absence for these women was experienced as the sudden absence of their familiar older loved one and the arrival of a stranger.The meaning of existential absence is further represented by the theme Living the fragility of a loved one’s presence and the sub-themes Facing a loved one's existential absence and Living with a stranger, as well as the theme Living life holding on and the sub-themes Waiting for a loved one, In the dark, On the fringe but centre stage, On thin ice, and Keeping secrets. These themes describe the unexpected and distressing nature of their loved one’s absence during delirium, and how difficult it was for the women to cope and await their loved one’s return. The description and interpretation presented in this thesis reveals the profound impact of family member experiences during their older loved one’s delirium. It establishes the importance of health care staff appreciating family member experiences and relates the insights gained to health care practice, suggesting how family member experiences can inform ways health care staff include family members in their older person’s care and provide compassionate, sensitive support during delirium.
- Subject
- delirium; acute confusion; family members; older people; phenomenology; Sartre; Merleau Ponty; health care
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1042373
- Identifier
- uon:14042
- Rights
- Copyright 2014 Jennifer Lynn Day
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
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| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Thesis | 5 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |