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Background: Peer education by volunteers may aid attitudinal change, but there is little understanding of factors assisting the preparation of peer educators. This study contributes to conceptual understandings of how volunteers may be prepared to work as peer educators by drawing on an evaluation of a training programme for peer education for advance care planning (ACP)., Objectives: To report on volunteers' perspectives on the peer education training programme, their feelings about assuming the role of volunteer peer educators and the community engagement activities with which they engaged during the year after training. To examine broader implications for peer education., Design: Participatory action research employing mixed methods of data collection., Participants: Twenty-four older volunteers and eight health and social care staff., Data Collection Methods: Evaluative data were gathered from information provided during and at the end of training, a follow-up survey 4 months post-training; interviews and focus groups 6 and 12 months post-training., Findings: Volunteers' personal aims ranged from working within their communities to using what they had learnt within their own families. The personal impact of peer education was considerable. Two-thirds of volunteers reported community peer education activities 1 year after the training. Those who identified strongly with a community group had the most success., Conclusion: We reflect on the extent to which the programme aided the development of 'critical consciousness' among the volunteers: a key factor in successful peer education programmes. More research is needed about the impact on uptake of ACP in communities., (© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Purpose: To explore experiences of Jordanian Muslim women in relation to bodily change during critical illness., Design: A longitudinal narrative approach was used. A purposive sample of 16 Jordanian women who had spent a minimum of 48 hr in intensive care participated in one to three interviews over a 6-month period., Findings: Three main categories emerged from the analysis: the dependent body reflects changes in the women's bodily strength and performance, as they moved from being care providers into those in need of care; this was associated with experiences of a sense of paralysis, shame, and burden. The social body reflects the essential contribution that family help or nurses' support (as a proxy for family) made to women's adjustment to bodily change and their ability to make sense of their illness. The cultural body reflects the effect of cultural norms and Islamic beliefs on the women's interpretation of their experiences and relates to the women's understandings of bodily modesty., Conclusions: This study illustrates, by in-depth focus on Muslim women's narratives, the complex interrelationship between religious beliefs, cultural norms, and the experiences and meanings of bodily changes during critical illness., Clinical Relevance: This article provides insights into vital aspects of Muslim women's needs and preferences for nursing care. It highlights the importance of including an assessment of culture and spiritual aspects when nursing critically ill patients., (© 2011 Sigma Theta Tau International.)