Shared presence: Caring for a dying spouse

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore wives' perceptions of their husbands' end-of-life care. Participants were 25 elderly widows (62-103 years of age) with 19 husbands' deaths in a hospice setting and six in the hospital. Wives recalled significant aspects of the experience and the care their husbands received. Three major themes were identified: awareness of impending death, care and comfort connections, and bereaved responses. The core phenomenon of being together described the importance of being close, having physical contact, and saying good-bye. An emergent theory, "Shared Presence, Caring for a Dying Spouse," described the experience of the husband and wife together at his end of life in the healthcare milieu. Several nursing implications emerged from the study including the need for nurses to recognize the wives' "place" at their husbands' side and to be sensitive to communication, especially death announcements. Human touch between spouses and between nurses, patients, and family members is vital in establishing supportive relationships. Further research is needed to determine how culturally diverse families access hospice services, the effect on wives of caring for a husband during the dying process, and how wives develop meaning during and after this experience.