• Prospective
    Students
  • Current
    Students
  • Alumni
  • Research
  • News &
    Events
  • About Royal
    Roads
Main menu
  • Prospective Students
  • Current Students
  • Alumni
  • Research
  • News & Events
  • About Royal Roads
 
    • Admin Login
    View Item 
    •   VIURRSpace Home
    • RRU
    • Student Research Collection
    • Dissertations & Theses @ RRU
    • View Item
    •   VIURRSpace Home
    • RRU
    • Student Research Collection
    • Dissertations & Theses @ RRU
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Home is where the heart is : the connection between home and the heart transplant journey

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    lannon_royalroadsdoc_1313E_10089.pdf (674.0Kb)
    Date
    2021-08-30
    Author
    Lannon, Heather
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Subject
    autoethnography; caregiver; lived experience; narrative; qualitative; transplant
    Abstract
    Every year more and more Canadians are diagnosed with heart failure. For some who receive this diagnosis, a heart transplant is required. Heart transplants are not performed in every province in Canada; thus, patients and caregivers must relocate to access transplant care. The research question I sought to answer is: How is home connected to the heart transplant journey? The purpose of my study is to learn from the lived experiences of patients and caregivers, as well as through my lived experience as a caregiver who relocated with a patient to access a heart transplant. To explore these various perspectives two methodologies were used. First autoethnography was used to analyze journal writing which described my experience as a caregiver, who relocated with my husband Jamie, to access a heart transplant. My journals were written during my relocation, which occurred from 2014 to 2017. In total there were 947 journal entries. From my journals, I identified the challenges associated with relocating which include: the stress of finding accommodations, limited finances, a lack of mental health supports, and the challenges associated with being an out of province patient. The supports I found helpful during relocation include my immediate and extended family, and the transplant team. While I did not define home in my journals, it was clear to me that, home meant Newfoundland, my house in Newfoundland, as well as my parents’ house in Newfoundland. Second narrative analysis was used to explore patient and caregiver perspectives of relocating to access a heart transplant. Nineteen interviews were conducted, and during these interviews patients and caregivers identified the challenges they faced during relocation, the supports that made relocation easier, and their definitions of home. The challenges patients and caregivers faced were the same as the ones I had identified in my journals - the stress of finding somewhere to live, financial stress, a lack of mental health support, and the challenges associated with being an out of province patient. Patients and caregivers also identified three things that helped them during their transplant journey – family, other patients and caregivers and the transplant team. When asked to define home, patients and caregivers used words such as family, community, warmth, comfort, safety and belonging. When I combined both the autoethnography and narrative analysis I was able to ascertain that home is not a geographical location or physical space. Home is defined by people, and how these people make us feel, thus home is connected to the transplant journey. With this connection in mind, this research aims to create an understanding of the unique challenges that patients and caregivers who relocate face, and that supports be created to meet the needs of this population.
    URI
    https://viurrspace.ca/handle/10613/24498
    http://dx.doi.org/10.25316/IR-16320
    Collections
    • Dissertations & Theses @ RRU
    • Doctor of Social Sciences

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Thumbnail

      A Heart’s Knowledge 

      Cowell, Nancyanne; Anthon, Dan (2018-06-16)
    • Thumbnail

      Home is where the heart is 

      Maxwell, Judith (Canadian Institute of Planners, 2002)
      The form and function of homes are changing as Canadians adapt to new technologies, new patterns of work, and new family structures. Families cannot function well without a home. But homes cannot function unless they ...
    • Thumbnail

      From the heart of the ensemble: collaborative theatre ensembles in education 

      Williams, Lisa Sophia (Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2017)
      This phenomenological study explores the experience of members within Collaborative Theatre Ensembles in theatre education. Theatre educators, theatre professionals, and graduates of high school theatre programs responded ...

    Browse

    All of VIURRSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    Admin LoginRegister
    back to top  
    Royal Roads University
    Our Location
    2005 Sooke Road
    Victoria, BC V9B 5Y2
    Canada
    •   Campus Map
    Get in Touch
    •   Phone: 250.391.2511
    •   Toll-free: 1.800.788.8028
    •   Email Us
    •   Directories
    @RoyalRoadsRRU FacebookRRU LinkedInRRU YouTubeRRU Pinterest
    • Contact Us
    • Send Feedback
    • Website Feedback
    • Privacy Policy
    • Academic Regulations
    • Copyright
    • Sitemap
    • ©2017 Royal Roads University
     
    DSpace Express is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV