Browsing by Subject "Lived experience"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    The Experience of care-giving for a person with Parkinson’s Disease.
    (2010-05) Bogard, Connie Lynn
    As the population continues to become more aged and at risk for chronic illness, there will be a growing need for caregivers. Caregivers to persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) face the challenge of providing care over many years due to the chronic progressive nature of this neurological disorder. The purpose of this study was to understand and discover the multi-dimensional cognitive, affective and psychomotor capabilities and attributes of informal care-giving for individuals with PD. The research question was: What is the meaning of the caring experience from the perspective of the informal caregiver in the day-to-day interactions with the person with PD? This phenomenological investigation looks into the lives of 13 caregivers who perceived that they were in a caring relationship with a person diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Caregivers participated in two in-depth, open ended interview sessions that were audiotaped and then transcribed verbatim for analysis. Three themes emerged from the analysis: (a) Care-giving is an unplanned journey; (b) I am living with the disease too; and (c) My relationshiop with the person I care for and others is changing. Subthemes for each were described. The findings suggested implications for clinical practice and future research. First, caregivers should be provided formal guidance and educational opportunities from health care providers over the course of the disease process. Second, caregivers and persons with PD should be viewed from a holistic perspective to ensure optimal care for the person with PD and support for the caregiver. Third, a multidisciplinary collaborative team approach should be used to facilitate communication across disciplines with the management of PD. Fourth, caregivers should be provided opportunity and connections with support groups. Fifth, caregiver health and wellness should be optimized over the course of the disease process to keep the caregiver-care recipient relationship intact and strong. Sixth, caregiver vigilance and concern for safety should be fostered and evaluated. Seventh, caregiver stressors and protective factors should be identified and appropriate internventions instigated.
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    Negotiating Educational Identities: Life Histories of Karen Women in Minnesota
    (2015-05) Yang, Maiyia
    The ways in which educational identities have been presented and understood is incomplete. An educational identity should be how individuals or groups identify themselves and others as educated based on their understandings of what it means to be an educated person. In applying this concept of an educational identity, the purpose of this life history study is to understand how Karen women in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area negotiate their educational identities from their lived experiences in Burma, Thailand, and the United States. The guiding research questions in this study are: 1) How do Karen women negotiate their educational identities in different sociocultural contexts, and 2) How do Karen women's lived experiences in Burma, Thailand, and the United States shape their understanding of what it means to be educated? Using primarily interviews and participant observations, this study elicits insight about the educational experiences of nine Karen women to understand how they construct and negotiate what it means to be educated in different sociocultural contexts. The participants are between 21-43 years old and have been or are currently enrolled in formal or non-formal education. The findings in this study reveal that the Karen women negotiate their educational identities using two main components: level of education and experiences. Level of education refers to years of formal schooling, whereas experiences refer to non-formal and informal ways of learning. Moreover, the women's life histories illustrate how sociocultural contexts shape how they negotiate their educational identities. In answering the second research question, the findings elucidate that what it means to be educated in Karen culture is when the educated person demonstrates respect, maintains a good reputation, gives back, and is independent. In addition to contributing to the literature about educational identities, refugee women, the Karen in Minnesota, and the educational experiences of refugees and immigrants, the findings from this study can also inform educational policies and programs.
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    Taiwanese married women's lived experience of zen meditation
    (2014-02) Kang, Hsin-Ru
    Due to the impact of Confucianism on Taiwanese society, Taiwanese married women play multiple family roles including being a daughter-in-law, wife, mother, and working woman. Having to play multiple roles usually brings Taiwanese married women burdens and stress. It is reported that Zen meditation improves people's physical and mental wellbeing. Zen meditation may be a good means for professionals to help this group of women to improve the quality of their lives. No study has emerged concerning this subject. It is useful to understand the phenomenon of individuals with similar backgrounds who practice Zen meditation in their lives. Based on the research interest, a descriptive phenomenological research design was employed. The research question was: What is it like for Taiwanese married women having roles as a daughter-in-law, wife, mother, and working woman to practice Zen meditation in their lives? Open-ended unstructured phenomenological interviews were conducted with five participants who met the research criteria and were able to provide rich descriptions of their experiences. Recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a descriptive phenomenological method that was influenced by two approaches as seen in the work of Amedeo Giorgi, and Karin Dahlberg, Helena Dahlberg, and Maria Nyström. Text analysis revealed a single structure consisting of six constituents describing the essence of the phenomenon. The constituents that emerged were: (1) self-transformation and personal growth; (2) opening the heart to the mother-in-law; (3) improving relationship with the husband; (4) becoming a warm and respectful mother; (5) increasing work efficiency and helping people at work; (6) Zen as a way of life. The findings of this study suggested four factors to be noted when Zen meditation is used as a means to help individuals with similar backgrounds improve the quality of their lives. In addition, the problems of Chinese parenting and the application of Zen to these problems were discussed. Reflections on using descriptive phenomenology as research methodology were also discussed. Finally, suggestions for future research in the field of family education were provided at the end of this research report.