Närståendes uppfattning av den äldres vårdbehov i samband med samordnad vårdplanering

Sammanfattning: Introduction: The population of Sweden has during the last century doubled. An increased live expectancy results in an older population and the share needing medical care increases. Demographic and political changes in developed counties have resulted in changed demands on the care of the elderly. The elderly are discharged from hospital earlier and this results a significant responsibility on the elderly themselves and their relatives. Often the relatives are engaged in the elderly’s health problems, care needs and the future consequences the current situation results in for the elderly and the domestic life. The purpose was to study and describe the relative’s conceptions of the elderly’s care needs in conjunction with care planning. Method: Data collection made by phone interviews with relatives of elderly people over 80 years old after the coordinated care planning. The interviews were analysed by qualitative content analysis and resulted in four overall categories. The result uses these four categories which describe the relative’s perceptions, encompassing the need of support in daily life, their perception on decisions, the elderly’s own attitude and perceptions of future needs. Conclusion: Extended research on relatives and their perception on the elderly’s needs can contribute to an increased awareness and reach a deeper knowledge and understanding of the complex situation the care planning means.