'What happened to me': rural African American elders' experiences of stroke

The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to examine the experience of stroke from the perspective of rural African American elders and their family members. The qualitative method of narrative analysis was used to explain the stroke experience from the perspective of the participants. Descriptive narrative analysis was used to produce a report of the interpretive schemes that study participants used to create the significance of past events and to anticipate the consequences of future actions in regard to the stroke experience. The findings revealed five themes: Discovering Stroke, Delaying Treatment, Living with Uncertainty, Discovering the Impact of Stroke, and Reconstructing Life. The findings from this study have implications for both nursing practice and nursing research. First, the themes and patterns that resulted from the narrative analysis highlight issues of how, when, and why rural African American elders seek treatment for stroke symptoms. This information can assist practicing nurses in educating this target group on signs and symptoms of stroke, stroke prevention, and the emergent nature of stroke. Second, the study contributes significantly to understanding how individuals and their families live through and respond to the experience of stroke.