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Throughout the world, life expectancy has noticeably increased during the past decade, and health promotive initiatives for older persons will therefore become ever more important. During the past few years, interest in what constitutes the source of health for human beings has markedly increased in health science research. An interesting and relatively unresearched domain is what provides older persons the strength and energy to look forward and what positively or negatively influences older persons' vitality. The aim of the study was to explore and describe older persons' vitality and their subjective experiences of what influences their vitality, despite disease and suffering. The study has an explorative and descriptive design. A comprehensive questionnaire including two open-ended questions about vitality was sent to 4927 older persons aged 65 and 75, and a total of 2579 responded to the open-ended questions. Qualitative content analyses were used. A safe and confirming communion, meaningful activities, an optimal state of health and an inner strength were important sources of vitality. Ageing that includes illness or a restricted life, happenings in the world and in one's close environment that threaten inner meaningfulness, and mental burdens that give rise to a feeling of hopelessness or depression decrease vitality. Vitality is an important health resource for 65- and 75-year-olds in that it influences a person's longing for life, love and meaning. Accordingly, it is of fundamental importance that Registered Nurses and other healthcare personnel strengthen older persons' vitality during the ageing process. By taking into consideration that which positively vs. negatively affects the vitality of each unique person, healthcare personnel can strengthen each older person's health resources and attempt to minimise and limit what negatively influences said person's vitality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While sustainability is a key concept in many different domains today, it has not yet been sufficiently emphasized in the healthcare sector. Earlier research shows that ethical values and evidence-based care models create sustainability in care practice. Objective: The aim of this study was to gain further understanding of the ethical values central to the realization of sustainability in care and to create an ethical practice model whereby these basic values can be made perceptible and active in care practice. Research design: Part of the ongoing “Ethical Sustainable Caring Cultures” research project, a hermeneutical application research design was employed in this study. Participants: Dialogues were used, where scientific researchers and co-researchers were given the opportunity to reflect on ethical values in relation to sustainability in care. Findings: An ethical practice model with ethos as its core was created from the results of the dialogues. In the model, ethos is encircled by the ethical values central to sustainability: dignity, responsibility, respect, invitation, and vows. Discussion: The model can be used as a starting point for ethical conversations that support carers’ reflections on the ethical issues seen in day-to-day care work and the work community, allowing ethical values to become visible throughout the entire care culture. Conclusion: It is intended as a tool whereby carers can more deeply understand an organization’s common basic values and what they entail in regard to sustainability in care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encounters in relation to the nurse-patient relationship are often discussed within nursing and caring literature without a reflection on the actual meaning of the concept. Assuming that an encounter is essential for nursing care, this article seeks to create a deeper understanding of the concept through a hermeneutic approach to texts by the philosophers Buber and Marcel. Presence, recognition, availability and mutuality seem to be essential prerequisites for an encounter. As these prerequisites are fulfilled within and between human beings who encounter each other, it is possible to speak of a space of togetherness, a mutual existence, where life's mystery shines forth and caring is realized. The challenge lies in creating these encounters within nursing care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]