The Experience of Living with Stroke Sequelae Illuminated by Means of Stories and Metaphors

Abstract

Twenty-nine persons 60 to 91 years old participated in a study concerning living with stroke sequelae. They narrated stories about two different photographs showing a person of the same age and gender as themselves being fed or eating independently. The stories were analyzed and interpreted by means of a phenomenological hermeneutic method. Some interviewees identified themselves with the actor and the action that took place in the photograph and others did not. Four themes were found: uncertainty; sadness and mourning; gratefulness, hope, and satisfaction; and isolation. The stories varied regarding completeness and expressed optimistic or pessimistic future expectations. The stories were condensed into four core stories. The emotional content of each core story was expressed by a metaphor. The tacit knowledge embedded in the interview texts, expressed through core stories and metaphors, is essential to nursing care.