Medsurg nursing : official journal of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses
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To explore the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of surrogates making decisions for older adults. To identify nursing practices perceived as helpful to surrogates. ⋯ Three paradigm cases describe caregiving, protecting, and trusting response patterns of surrogates. Surrogates found decision-making an evolving and difficult process. Nurses can be more helpful to surrogates by giving them more opportunities to ask questions, solicit information, express emotions and obtain comfort and support.