Cooperation during morning care between nurses and severely demented institutionalized patients

Nurse-patient cooperation during morning care in two wards for the care of severely demented patients (107 observations) were analyzed by using a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach. Nurse-patient cooperation was found to be characterized by their acting in mutuality or unilaterality and in or out of pace with each other. When acting iri pace and mutuality, the nurse and patient turned to each other as persons as well as to the task. This theme related to confirming nurse actions and actions that provided opportunities for the patient to participate. When acting out of pace and unilaterality, cooperation was mainly task oriented and related to acts of resistance, the use of force, loss of attention or turning to others, or the patient wanted to escape. The findings were interpreted within the contexts of power, empowerment, and powerlessness and may serve as indicators of low- or high-quality nurse-patient cooperation during morning care provided for demented patients.