a Department of Care Science, Faculty of Health and Society , Malmö University , Malmö , Sweden.
b Department of Health and Society, The Research Platform for Collaboration for Health , Kristianstad University , Kristianstad , Sweden.
Aging Ment Health. 2018 Oct;22(10):1357-1364. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2017.1348481. Epub 2017 Jul 17.
This study illuminated the meanings of existential loneliness (EL) as narrated by frail older people.
Data were collected through individual narrative interviews with 23 people 76-101 years old receiving long-term care and services. A phenomenological hermeneutical analysis was performed, including a naïve reading and two structural analyses as a basis for a comprehensive understanding of EL.
Four themes were identified related to meanings of EL: (1) being trapped in a frail and deteriorating body; (2) being met with indifference; (3) having nobody to share life with; and (4) lacking purpose and meaning. These intertwined themes were synthesized into a comprehensive understanding of EL as 'being disconnected from life'.
Illness and physical limitation affects access to the world. When being met with indifference and being unable to share one's thoughts and experiences of life with others, a sense of worthlessness is reinforced, triggering an experience of meaninglessness and EL, i.e. disconnection from life. It is urgent to develop support strategies that can be used by health care professionals to address older people in vulnerable situations, thereby facilitating connectedness.
本研究通过对 23 名长期接受护理和服务的 76-101 岁体弱老年人进行个体叙事访谈，揭示了体弱老年人存在性孤独（EL）的含义。
数据收集通过个体叙事访谈进行，受访者为 23 名 76-101 岁长期接受护理和服务的体弱老年人。采用现象学解释学分析，包括初步阅读和两次结构分析，作为全面理解 EL 的基础。
确定了与 EL 含义相关的四个主题：（1）被困在脆弱和恶化的身体中；（2）被忽视；（3）无人分享生活；（4）缺乏目的和意义。这些相互交织的主题被综合为对 EL 的全面理解，即“与生活脱节”。
疾病和身体限制影响与世界的联系。当被忽视，无法与他人分享自己的思想和生活经历时，会加剧无价值感，引发无意义和 EL 体验，即与生活脱节。迫切需要制定支持策略，供医疗保健专业人员用于弱势老年人，从而促进联系。
