This research examined how the needs of elderly women are being met in the hospital setting. Qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews with eleven women between the ages of 70 and 93 who had had a hospital stay in the previous year. Data analysis revealed that the system failed to attend to participants' age specific needs. This failure created gaps in care which were particularly troubling for elderly female patients whose frailty made them susceptible to additional health problems. Participants received inadequate care in such areas as bathing, walking assistance and help with eating. Hearing impairments and denture issues were at times overlooked. These gaps in care caused participants to view a hospital stay as a matter of survival. Participants developed strategies to cope with gaps in care which included lowering their expectations, developing support networks and relying on family members to meet their basic needs and advocate on their behalf. Recommendations for change include identifying elderly women as a vulnerable patient population and defining the problems they face as structural issues as opposed to individual problems.

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Nursing, Faculty of Nursing.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and needs of families during the admission of a child to a paediatric ward in an acute care hospital. Qualitative research methods were used to access the caregivers' and professionals' perceptions of the culture that families experience in a paediatric in-patient setting. For this project, data collection methods included a review of the literature in the area, individual interviews with caregivers, and focus groups with paediatric health care professionals. / In the study, both parents and paediatric professionals described a multitude of experiences and needs of families during a child's admission to a paediatric ward in an acute care setting. Understanding the experiences and needs of families is important for professionals. The information collected in this study provides some insight into the culture that families experience when their child is admitted to a paediatric ward in an acute care hospital.

Thesis PlanA (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Melbourne, Dept. of Postgraduate Nursing, 2002. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 236-259).

Thesis (M.H.S.A.)--University of Michigan, 1979.

Thesis (M.A.) - Simon Fraser University, 2005. / Theses (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) / Simon Fraser University.

Thesis (M.A.) - Simon Fraser University, 2005. / Theses (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) / Simon Fraser University.

Thesis--University of Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.H.S.A.)--University of Michigan, 1979.