STRATEGIES USED BY CHRONICALLY ILL OLDER WOMEN AND THEIR CAREGIVING DAUGHTERS IN MANAGING POSTHOSPITAL CARE

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to learn how older women and their caregiving daughters managed care following the mother's ho spitalization because of a chronic illness. Data were collected in sem i-structured interviews with 33 mother-daughter pairs at two weeks pos t-discharge, and 32 pairs two months post-discharge. Content analysis and constant comparison were used in analysing the data, The findings indicate that the posthospital period for both mothers and daughters w as characterized by difficulties in managing care that were often rela ted to lack of information about diet, medications and community servi ces, In dealing with the difficulties, most mothers and daughters empl oyed information-seeking and problem-solving strategies to move from t he phase, finding out what works, to establishing new routines. Not al l mothers and daughters established routines by two months post-discha rge, Nurses need to recognize factors that impede mothers and daughter s in establishing routines in order to design effective interventions to ease the posthospital transition.