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      • HARVEST
      • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
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      • HARVEST
      • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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      A Unique Life Balance: The Experience of Finding Balance During Bereavement For Older Adults After Spousal Caregiving

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      SALEWICH-THESIS.pdf (665.9Kb)
      Sarah_version_Sept_19_Final_Thesis_and_Manuscript_2011-edited2.pdf (665.9Kb)
      Date
      2011-10-05
      Author
      Salewich, Sarah
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Level
      Masters
      Metadata
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      Abstract
      ABSTRACT Regaining a sense of balance in life after the death of a spouse is a very difficult journey. Evidence supports older spousal caregivers experience unique challenges that affect their bereavement adjustment. The methodology of interpretive description informed this secondary analysis of the experience of finding balance during bereavement. The purpose was to provide empirical evidence to generate new knowledge and expand our understanding of a phenomenon important to older adults experiencing bereavement after caring for their spouse with advanced cancer. The participants were ten men and women between the ages of 66-83 years of age in their first year of bereavement. The dataset consisted of 21 interviews and eight journals. The participants’ experiences were illuminated through words, stories, and reflections on their journey from caregiver to their lives lived without their spouse. Ten major themes and 15 subthemes emerged. Creating balance in bereavement reflected each participant’s quest to find a ‘new normal’, and sense of peace in areas of their life that were important to them. Discovering ways to nurture their unique life balance helped each participant grow and learn to carry forward while honouring the life of their spouses. The knowledge of finding balance in bereavement gained through interpretive description of this ‘insider’s perspective’ provides important insights for those in a strategic position to promote positive outcomes in the bereavement journey.
      Degree
      Master of Nursing (M.N.)
      Department
      Nursing
      Program
      Nursing
      Supervisor
      Holtslander, Lorraine; Semchuk, Karen
      Committee
      Teucher, Ulrich; Spurr, Shelly; Andrews, Mary Ellen
      Copyright Date
      October 2011
      URI
      http://hdl.handle.net/10388/ETD-2011-10-153
      Subject
      bereavement
      finding balance
      cancer
      older adult
      caregiver
      spouse
      qualitative
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      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
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