[For better or worse--description of the problems experienced by elderly spouses of long-term care patients]

The aim of this article is to describe, what problems the spouses of permanently institutionalised patients feel in their lives. The nature of the study is qualitative. Data were collected from six spouses of patients cared for in two hospital wards in primary health care. The data collection method was theme interview. Analysis was made by qualitative content analysis method. The results of the study showed the spouses' experiences. They formed six categories: 1) embitterment of the fate of their own and their spouses, 2) feeling of guilt when living free while the spouse is in a hospital care, 3) feeling of being bound to the patient and losing own possibilities in life, 4) feeling of loss of the spouse, 5) losing contacts to other people outside the family, and 6) missing visions for the future. The results showed many ways how to develop the long-term hospital care toward family-centered care. The family members of the patients do not only form background of the patients or the care. They also need informational and emotional support to manage in their everyday lives.