Developing trusting, caring relationships: home care nurses and elderly clients

Trusting as an area of research has not been critically examined in nursing research literature. In this study, nurses working in home care and elderly clients were interviewed to ascertain the process of developing a trusting relationship. Data were obtained from seven home care nurses and six elderly clients who were interviewed from one to three times. The data were analysed using grounded theory methodology and sorted using Microsoft Word software on a Macintosh computer. The core category which was identified in the data was labelled 'trusting, caring relationships'. This core category encompassed trusting which is developed and the caring which the nurses provide. Home care nurses and elderly clients moved through four phases: initial trusting; connecting; negotiating; and helping. The findings have implications for novice nurses working with elderly people, as well as for programme development and education. More research needs to be done on trust in different contexts to assist all nurses in establishing nurse-client relationships.