ABSTRACT Background: Aging and losing cognitive and physical functions is difficult. To also be affected by dementia means that you lose some part of your identity and the ability to take care of yourself. It is important to find alternative, non-pharmacological ways to increase health for the elderly and those who are affected by dementia. When dogs are used for therapeutic purposes in health care it is roughly divided into two different forms; AAA (Animal Assisted Activity) and AAT (Animal Assisted Therapy). AAI (Animal Assisted Intervention) is also used as a term, in which AAT is included.

According to The National Board of Health and Welfare, about 200 000 elderly persons get some help or support with eating or nutrition problems. This was approximately 2 percent of the population. Older people in sheltered accommodation in community care were not able to manage their own nutrition. The older people were dependent on the food that was offered to them, when and how the food was served. This was a specific responsibility for the nursing staff.

When a family member is being cared for in palliative care relatives often need support to be able to support their family member. The purpose of the literature review was to illuminate the nursing staff?s support from the relatives? perspective when a family member is being cared in a late palliative phase. The study is a literature review, there already existing research are surveyed. The findings were structured into two parts, tangible- and the intangible support.

With help from Hälsoteknikcentrum the need for storage of medical items in the home care section has come to our attention by an investigation that Hälsoteknikcentrum did. Facilea and the nursing stuff at Eketånga home care have developed a product specified to improve the work situation for both the nursing staffs and the patients.The trolley is equipped with a special module to make the trolley more adjustable for the recipients and the nursing staffs needs and desires. The product also collect all the care items in one place. Which gives the care patient and its relatives a possibility to gather all the medical items in one place and don?t have to put these in bookshelves etcetera.After surveys, interviews and home visits a prototype was built.

Swedish studies have shown that more people than expected have problems with leg ulcers and that the yearly cost for treatment per patient is approximately 26 500kr. Since the elderly population is on the rise, there is a need to highlight this growing problem, to make sure that proper assessment tools are used and to improve the standard of care given to patients with leg ulcers. The aim was to show what a difference the nurse can make to patients with leg ulcers. With all types of wounds it is imperative to establish if there is any underlying reasons since certain illnesses can cause more wounds or delay the healing process. The doctor is responsible for making the diagnosis and to prescribe the correct treatment whereas the nurse?s responsibility is for the nursing care and its documentation.

Background: Since the end of the 1990`s the self-harm among adolescents have increased. Research is needed on how to improve the ability to care for these patients. That is why it is important to investigate how patients who self-harm and the next of kin are encountered by the caregivers.Aim: The aim of this study was to illuminate the experiences of encounters with caregivers at self-harm.Method: The study was based on narratives, which in this case means analysis of autobiographies. Five autobiographies were analyzed in accordance with a description by Dahlborg-Lyckhage. Four of these were written by self-harmers and one by a next of kin.Results: Three themes and twelve subthemes emerged which describe both negative and positive experiences of encounters with caregivers.

In human service organizations it is important to enlighten the significance of human encounters. The aim of this study was to explore nursing students experiences of developing empathy and professional relationship in encounters with patients and next of kin during their education. Interviews with five nursing students were carried out. The method of analysing content analysis was used. One main theme and five subthemes were presented.

Background: Pressure ulcers are a common problem and cause great suffering for those who develop it, and are also an expensive cost to the society. Aim: To describe nursing measures for prevention of pressure ulcers among elderly people in ordinary and nursing homes. Method: A literature review by structured analyze of scientific articles. Result: The analyze resulted in six subjects for prevention of pressure ulcers. These subjects were; risk assesment, nutrition, repositioning, skin/hygiene, nurse knowledge and documentation.

Background: Nursing staff use touch on a daily basis, often without reflecting over it. It is not only the touch itself that emerges, everyday nursing staff get involved in the meeting with patients. The use of touch can be divided in to different kinds of touch, due to its purpose these are instrumental- and expressive touch. Purpose: The purpose with the study was to illustrate what physical touch means for the meeting between patient and caregiver. Method: A literature review has been done, based on ten scientific articles and by these four domains emerged.

Background: The amount of elderly patients who?s suffering from dementhia increases every year. Many of these patients develop and decrease in their cognitive ability. The development can lead to people's communication skills deteriorate. It can be a problem for the nurse to communicate with these patients.

Background: Most acts of violence in a psychiatric ward are directed towards the nursing staff. Aggressive behaviour often stems from feelings of frustration and powerlessness in patients while committed and therefore having limited liberties. To avoid an escalation of a hostile situation, it is important that the nursing staff applies the kind of encounter that will yield a positive outcome. Aim: The aim of this literary study is to elucidate the possible encounter the nursing staff can apply when encountering a hostile patient in psychiatric care. Method: The literary study is based on twelve scientific articles.

Pneumonia is a common disease in calves. There are several causes behind the disease. The main purpose of this litterary study was to estimate what kind of nursing calves with pneumonia could benefit from, especially the evidence-based nursing recommendations for the sick calves. A further purpose was to gain knowledge of different treatments of sick calves and what kind of practical measurements that are most suitable to use in the preventive work. The results in this study shows that there are only suggestions of nursing, rather than some actual evidence-based actions. The most important nursing actions is to isolate the calves with dyspnea, prevent or treatment of hypothermia, potential dehydration and malnutrition. It is also important to make sure to place the calf on soft and dry bedding.

Background: Earlier studies show that nurses work environment is a factor that may affect the quality in nursing care negatively. Other factors are: number of employees, working hours, work structure and planning and working relationships between colleagues. Work relationships are particularly important for nurses as they can affect patient safety. Nurses are prone to stressrelated illnesses and high stress levels prove to have a negative affect on the quality of nursing care. To develop and assure the quality demands effort from every employee.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to highlight in what forms and manifestations spirituality emerges in medical patients whether they consider themselves believers or not. The other aim was to analyse spiritual ideas of nursing scientists ? authors of the patients? oriented studies to come to the better understanding of the situation with spirituality in caring. Method: Descriptive meta-synthesis was chosen, in which 12 nursing studies were analyzed and compiled in a new integrity. Results: The analysis shows that caregivers must be ready to meet and confirm the spiritual dimension consisting of Faith, Meaning, Relationship and Questions without answers in the various forms and expressions they emerge in patient?s experience.

Research shows that supportive conversations with elderly who are living in nursing homes isrequested among care personnel, this to satisfy both older people's mental health and socialhealth. The care personnel try to offer the elderly supportive conversation to the extent theyare able to, but they are experiencing obstacles in terms of shortage of time, ignorance and aperceived ambiguity in their profession. The purpose of present study is to describe andanalyze the phenomenon of supportive conversation with elderly living in nursing homes,based on care personnel?s perspective. The study is based on qualitative interviews with thecare personnel working in special housing.