Family caregivers' experiences in nursing homes: Narratives on human dignity and uneasiness

This qualitative study is focusing on dignity in nursing homes from the perspective of family caregivers. Dignity is a complex concept and central to nursing. Dignity in nursing homes is a challenge, according to research. Family caregivers are frequently involved in their family members’ daily experiences at the nursing home.
This Scandinavian application study has a descriptive and explorative design. Twenty-nine family caregivers were included. A phenomenological-hermeneutic approach was used to understand the meaning of the narrated text.
The interpretations revealed two main themes: “One should treat others in ways that one would like others to treat oneself” and “Uneasiness due to indignity”.
The main reason for dignity was experiences as respect, confidence, security and charity. The uneasiness occurred when indignity aroused.
The voices of the family caregivers are usually taciturn, but still important in nursing homes. It seems therefore important to further investigate experiences of family caregivers in the context of nursing homes.