RESUMEN
Since Namibia's Independence in 1990, the population of elders--persons 65 years old and older--in urban communities is growing steadily. As such, requests for home health care, health counselling, respite care and residential care for aging members of society are overwhelming nurses and the health care system. This study expands transcultural nursing knowledge by increasing understanding of generic (home-based) patterns of elder care that are practised and lived by urban Namibian families. Guided by Madeleine Leininger's theory of culture care diversity and universality and the ethnonursing research method, emic (insider) meanings and expressions of care and caring for elders in selected urban households have been transposed into five substantive themes. The themes, which depict what carring for elders means to urban families, include: 1 nurturing the health of the family, 2 trusting in the benevolence of life as lived, 3 honouring one's elders, 4 sustaining security and purpose for life amid uncertainty, and 5 living with rapidly changing cultural and social structures. These findings add a voice from the developing world to the evolving body of transcultural nursing knowledge. Synthesis of findings with professional care practices facilitates the creation of community-focussed models for provisioning culturally congruent nursing care to elders and their families in urban Namibia.
Asunto(s)
Actitud Frente a la Salud/etnología , Cuidadores/psicología , Empatía , Salud de la Familia , Familia/psicología , Anciano Frágil , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Atención Domiciliaria de Salud/psicología , Población Urbana , Adaptación Psicológica , Adulto , Anciano , Enfermería en Salud Comunitaria , Familia/etnología , Femenino , Identidad de Género , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Modelos de Enfermería , Namibia , Evaluación de Necesidades , Investigación Metodológica en Enfermería , Cambio Social , Enfermería TransculturalRESUMEN
Women's ability to provide for the health and well-being of their children and families is linked in complex ways to the degree of empowerment they experience. Empowerment for women in the developing world is a perplexing venture, hampered by patriarchal barriers and cultural confusion. Our purpose in conducting this research was to discover how disadvantaged Namibian women experienced empowerment when they had access to safe child care. Fifty-two women participated in the study. A qualitative design and ethnographic techniques were used to elicit women's experiences. Five themes, descriptive of women's empowerment, emerged from the data: (a) increasing vitality, (b) freedom from worry, (c) opportunities to increase financial security, (d) strengthened parenting competence, and (e) personal satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment. The findings add a voice from the developing world to the growing understanding of women's diverse journeys toward empowerment. Discussion focuses on the significance of the themes and implications for further research that promotes women's empowerment and community health.
Asunto(s)
Guarderías Infantiles/normas , Países en Desarrollo , Poder Psicológico , Seguridad , Salud de la Mujer , Derechos de la Mujer , Adulto , Preescolar , Características Culturales , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Namibia , Investigación Metodológica en Enfermería , Encuestas y CuestionariosAsunto(s)
Curriculum , Graduación en Auxiliar de Enfermería/organización & administración , Bachillerato en Enfermería/organización & administración , Perfil Laboral , Modelos de Enfermería , Grupo de Atención al Paciente/organización & administración , Competencia Clínica , Enfermería en Salud Comunitaria/educación , HumanosRESUMEN
Health among the world's women is becoming more precarious as people are thrown into mad competition for scarce global resources. Patriarchal institutions continue to dominate the quest for power over earth, self, and others. This paper discusses five major issues related to women's health status today. Each issue raises questions for nurses to ponder as we try to address the widespread prejudice against women and health. Finally, the paper points to avenues that are being opened in nursing to address women's health concerns.