‘My registered nurse’: Older people’s experiences of registered nurses’ leadership close to them in community home care in Sweden

Abstract

Aim: To explore older people's experiences of registered nurses’ leadership close to them in community home care. Introduction: In Sweden and throughout the world, the number of people 65 years and older is increasing. While older people are living for more years, living longer can bring more diseases and disabilities, which might lead to the need for home care. Registered nurses are responsible for older people's care needs in their leadership in community home care; this is a part of their professional role as registered nurses, and it implies that they must be multi-artists. Design: An explorative and inductive design was used in two communities in western Sweden. Methods: Individual interviews were conducted with older people (n = 12) with at least one year of experience with community home care. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The results are presented in the theme ‘my registered nurse’, including five categories – relationship, professional competence, nursing interventions, coordination and collaboration and organisation – and 15 sub-categories. Conclusions: These findings are based on older people's own experiences. This is specific, as the phenomenon of the RNs leadership is rarely explored from the perspective of older people. Implications for practice: There is a need for organisations to create more opportunities for older people to have their own registered nurses leading close to them. This is because registered nurses have specific competences for meeting older people's individual needs and involving them as competent partners in satisfying their care needs.