“Love Is Love”: Unitary Caring Science Principles in Veteran’s Illness Narratives of Living With Heart Failure in Stories of the Heart Research Study

Abstract

Heart failure impacts millions globally, yet relatively little information is available from a holistic, narrative perspective. This research brief used a unitary caring science perspective to explore illness narratives of military veterans with heart failure receiving care from a U.S. Veterans Administration facility. Five veterans were interviewed. Results were analyzed using established narrative methods. Components of unitary caring science that emerged included interconnection, caring, the importance of story, and meaning creation. These findings inform and expand unitary caring science research, expanding this approach to interdisciplinary applications and advancing understanding of the experience of U.S. veterans with heart failure.