Although mortality rates from heart disease and stroke have generally declined over the past decade (Statistics Canada, 1997) they continue to be the number one cause of death for women in Canada and the United States (American Heart Association, 1992; Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 1997). Research has started to focus on women and heart disease, however, there is a paucity of work that identifies the unique needs of women over 65 years of age. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the experiences of recovery in women 65 years of age and older in the first two weeks following a myocardial infarction. The qualitative methods of Heideggerian phenomenology and feminist approaches were used to gain a better understanding of personal reflections of recovery. In depth, semi-structured, audio-taped interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 7 women. Data analysis revealed that recovery was highly contextual, multivariate and consisted of an active process resembling a mosaic, in which the women described how they "created a new picture for themselves". The data clustered into four substantive themes which included: Life is Scattered; Trying to Make Sense of It; Learning to Live With It and Getting Settled. These themes were compared and contrasted with the broader literature to confirm findings and to highlight existing gaps in therapy and treatment. Specific interventions and strategies have been proposed to address the unique physical, emotional and learning needs of these older women.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/8524 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Kerr, Evelyn Elizabeth. |
| Contributors | Fothergill-Bourbonnais, F., |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 165 p. |
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