Abstract ▼ AI-Helper

Purpose: This study was done to explore the lived experiences in older Korean women with early stage of Parkinson's disease. The research question was "What is the meaning and nature of the older women's experiences who were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease?" Methods: In this study, we adopted van...

Purpose: This study was done to explore the lived experiences in older Korean women with early stage of Parkinson's disease. The research question was "What is the meaning and nature of the older women's experiences who were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease?" Methods: In this study, we adopted van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological approach to find the lived experiences of older women diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Six older women diagnosed with Parkinson's disease within five years participated, and data were collected through in-depth interviews. Results: Five fundamental lifeworld themes and seven subthemes emerged from the data. The first theme of corporeality had three subthemes: 'being shocked by an unexpected diagnosis', 'fewer things can be done due to the illness' and 'lost my prettiness'. The second theme representing relationality was 'hiding the illness because of others' whispering'. The temporality theme was 'fear of symptom aggravation'. The spatiality theme was 'being placed in a blind spot of information'. The last existential theme of material had 'obsession with drugs'. Conclusion: The results of this study provide an in-depth understanding of older womens experiences of living with Parkinson's disease. The findings can help develop interventions specific to these group of women to provide sufficient emotional support and accurate information.

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