Purpose and Topic： A longer life expectancy is expected to rise continuously in all populations on all continents. Older parents are at risk of having to accompany their adult children through a severe illness, somet...Purpose and Topic： A longer life expectancy is expected to rise continuously in all populations on all continents. Older parents are at risk of having to accompany their adult children through a severe illness, sometimes even to their death. The present study investigates the experiences of being a parent to an adult child with a severe illness and what support was helpful during the child＇s period of illness. Method： A qualitative approach with in-depth interviews which were analyzed using content analysis. Results： The results showed that a common perception was that it is very special to have a child with a severe illness. The underlying elements of existential experience and the relationship both influenced the parents＇ conceptions of life and permeated the whole situation. There were four areas that the parents found important and influenced how they could manage the situation： having information, participation, strategies to cope with the situation, and support. Conclusions： Accompanying an adult child through a severe and potentially fatal disease in the context of a growing elderly population will become an increasingly frequent problem. So far there is limited research in this area and more research should be a high priority in the future.展开更多
文摘Purpose and Topic： A longer life expectancy is expected to rise continuously in all populations on all continents. Older parents are at risk of having to accompany their adult children through a severe illness, sometimes even to their death. The present study investigates the experiences of being a parent to an adult child with a severe illness and what support was helpful during the child＇s period of illness. Method： A qualitative approach with in-depth interviews which were analyzed using content analysis. Results： The results showed that a common perception was that it is very special to have a child with a severe illness. The underlying elements of existential experience and the relationship both influenced the parents＇ conceptions of life and permeated the whole situation. There were four areas that the parents found important and influenced how they could manage the situation： having information, participation, strategies to cope with the situation, and support. Conclusions： Accompanying an adult child through a severe and potentially fatal disease in the context of a growing elderly population will become an increasingly frequent problem. So far there is limited research in this area and more research should be a high priority in the future.
