During deployment of National Guard or reserve troops to Iraq or Afghanistan, spouses on the home front have been largely invisible to our collective consciousness. A total of 18 spouses living in rural Wisconsin were interviewed to identify sources of stress and coping strategies. Stressors varied from predeployment through postdeployment, as did coping responses. During predeployment, spouses articulated that the primary stressor was their lives being "on hold." During deployment, five stressors summarize the experience: worrying, waiting, going it alone, pulling double duty, and loneliness. Communication technology made it possible for most spouses to stay in touch using telephone, e-mail, or even Webcam. Keeping busy-managing personal, family, and household responsibilities-was the most commonly identified coping strategy. Postdeployment was a period of adjustment while couples searched for a new normal. Throughout all deployment phases, skilled and astute nurses can assist families toward health and healing.

No abstract

Seasoned nurses enjoy, and engage in, nursing and derive benefits from continued practice. Further research is needed to determine the relative importance of the factors identified as important to nurses as they anticipate, and experience, retirement. IMPLICATION FOR NURSE MANAGERS: An understanding of these factors can be used to aid nursing leaders to retain seasoned nurses in practice beyond retirement age.

People with terminal illness, depression, and those who are grieving losses may be at special risk of spiritual crisis. The literature suggests an interdisciplinary approach, nurses' self-exploration of spirituality, and refraining from defining spirituality by religious affiliation as part of improving practice.

A descriptive literature review was done to identify research conducted in both community and institutional settings and published from 1986 to 1993 on the correlates of behavioral symptoms associated with dementia. Critical appraisal and synthesis of the 40 studies revealed theoretical and methodological problems that tempered conclusions about the relationships between behavioral symptoms and the correlates under study. While direct relationships were found in studies in which relationships between behavioral symptoms and cognitive impairment and contextual factors were examined, contradictory results were found in studies of demographic and functional variables. Recommendations for research-based practice are advanced, including the development and testing of alternatives to physical and chemical restraints in the care of persons with dementia.