The lived experience of wives caring for their frail, homebound, elderly husbands with pressure ulcers.

The purpose of this study was to describe and to gain understanding for the unexplored experience of wives caring for their frail, homebound, elderly husbands with pressure ulcers. Using Spiegelberg's (1975) phenomenological method, the caregiving experience of six elderly women was explored. Five major themes were identified in this study: 1. difficult caregiving, which was further delineated into the physical, emotional, safety, and financial realms 2. frailty of the caregiver 3. limited socialization 4. limited social support systems 5. limited caregiving knowledge. The two minor recurring themes were (1) fear regarding the future, and (2) symbolic meaning of the pressure ulcer. From these themes implications for nursing practice, healthcare clinicians' education, healthcare policy reforms, and recommendations for future research emerged.