Abstract
The development of nursing as a scientific discpline involves the identification and analysis of specific concepts that are relevant to the practice of nursing. The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the phenomenon of comfort as experienced by people who have lived a long life. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven persons, aged 69 to 97. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed according to Giorgi's phenomenological method. The findings indicate that the experience of comfort generates a feeling of meaning and well-being. Comfort is an interpersonal phenomenon. This means that feelings of security, alleviation from suffering, tranquility and hope is influenced by the person's abilility to receive comfort as well as by the individual's social surroundings. In nursing practice, the result of this study can be used to increase the care-givers understanding of the meaning of comfort and its dimensions and in turn, a rational basis for nursing actions.
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