在宅で配偶者を看取った高齢遺族にとってのビリーブメント（死別反応）の意味

The Meaning of Bereavement for Older Bereaved Families Who Have Provided Home Care For Their Spouses

要旨

　目的：在宅で配偶者を看取った高齢遺族のビリーブメントの意味を明らかにする．

　方法：在宅で3か月〜2年程度介護し，配偶者との死別から約1年〜3年経過した高齢遺族10名を対象に半構成的面接を行い質的記述的に分析した．

　結果：【覚悟した逝き方に寄り添う】【悔やまないために在宅看取りを選ぶ】【悔いはないがし尽くしてはいない】【寂しいが悲しいわけではない】【悲しまずに生きていくための術を得る】【受け容れるために何かを模索する】の6つのカテゴリーが抽出された．

　結論：参加者の語りからは，配偶者の望みを叶えるために在宅看取りを選び，最期まで寄り添い続ける覚悟が見えた．また十分看きったつもりでもしてあげたかった気持ちに際限はなく，配偶者への思慕の念を募らせていた．配偶者亡き後は，配偶者から得たかけがえのないものを胸に模索しながら未来に歩みだすという前向きなビリーブメントの意味が明らかとなった．

　Purpose: To clarify the meaning of bereavement for older bereaved family members who have bereaved their spouses at home.

　Methods: Ten older bereaved family members who had cared for their spouses at home for three months to 2 years and had been bereaved for approximately 1 to 3 years were interviewed semiconstructively and analyzed qualitatively and descriptively.

　Results: Six categories were extracted: "I will be with the bereaved in the way they were prepared to die," "I will choose end-of-life care at home so that I will not regret it," "I have no regrets, but I have not done all I can," "I am lonely but not sad," "I will learn how to live without being sad," and "I will seek something to accept the end-of-life care at home."

　Conclusion: The participants' narratives conveyed that they chose to provide end-of-life care at home in order to fulfill their spouses' wishes, and their determination to stay close to their spouses until the end of their lives. Even if they feel they have provided sufficient care, there is no end to their care, and their adoration for their spouse grows. The meaning of their positive bereavement that after the death of their spouse, they will walk into the future with the irreplaceable things they gained from their spouse became clear.