Journal List > J Korean Acad Nurs > v.38(5) > 1002485

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Kim, Ko, Kim, Kim, Kim, Moon, Baek, Son, Oh, Lee, and Choi: The Life of Elderly Women Living Alone
Original Article

J Korean Acad Nurs 2008;38(5):739-747.

Published online: 12 October 2008

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2008.38.5.739

The Life of Elderly Women Living Alone

Chunmi Kim1, Moon Hee Ko2, Moon Jeong Kim3, Joohyun Kim4, Hee Ja Kim5, Jin Ha Moon1, Kyoung Seon Baek6, Haeng-Mi Son7, SangEun Oh8, YoungAe Lee9, Jung-Sook Choi10

1Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Yeojoo Institute of Technology, Yeoju, Korea

2Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Chodang University, Muan, Korea

3Clinical Lecturer, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

4Professor, Department of Nursing, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea

5Professor, Department of Nursing, Chungju Natioanl University, Chungju, Korea

6Professor, Department of Nursing, Jinju Health College, Jinju, Korea

7Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Ulsan University, Ulsan, Korea

8Professor, College of Nursing, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea

9Professor, Department of Nursing, Wonkwang Health Science College, Iksan, Korea

10Professor, Department of Nursing, Kangnung National University, Wonju, Korea

Address reprint requests to : Kim, Chunmi Department of Nursing, Yeojoo Institute of Technology, 454-5 Gyo-ri, Yeoju-eup, Yeoju-gun 469-705, Korea Tel: 82-31-880-5373 Fax: 82-31-885-7041 E-mail: cmchoi@chollian.net

Received 2 February 2008       Revised 5 February 2008       Accepted 8 October 2008

Copyright © 2008 Korean Society of Nursing Science

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.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to uncover the fundamental nature of living alone in female elderly.

Methods

The phenomenological research approach developed by van Manen was adopted.

Results

The theme was ‘taking a firm stand alone on the edges of life’. The composition elements of living alone experienced by elderly women were as follows: 1) Corporeality: participants perceived their bodies by their health status. Unhealthy participants were suffering with diseases and dependant on other persons, while healthy participants were free from family responsibility and kept on moving. 2) Spatiality: participants felt both freedom and loneliness while they stayed home. 3) Relationality: participants felt pity and yearning for their bereaved husband and sometimes talked to his picture. According to their children’s filial piety, participants were pleased or displeased. However, they incessantly devoted themselves to their children. 4) Temporality: participants considered the rest of their life as extra-time which was proceeding to death, and tried to keep themselves busy before they died.

Conclusion

A nurse should understand the multifarious aspects of elderly women’s life, and then intervene to consolidate their strengths for self-supporting the final years of life.

Keywords: Elderly, Woman, Qualitative research

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