Rationale Knowledge of how elderly patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery and their close family members experience the course of illness is limited. Little is known about how such surgery and hospitalisation affect elderly patients' daily life after discharge. It is well known that such patients have an increased risk of mortality and that their physical functional level often decreases during hospitalisation, which can make them dependent on family or homecare services. Critical illness and caregiving for a close relative can be a stressful experience for families, which are at risk of developing stress‐related symptoms. Aim To explore how elderly patients and their families experience the course of illness during hospitalisation and the first month at home after discharge. Method A phenomenological study was conducted to gain in‐depth descriptions through 15 family interviews with 15 patients who had undergone major emergency abdominal surgery and 20 of their close adult family members. Data were analysed using a phenomenological approach inspired by Giorgi. Findings The essence of the phenomenon is captured in three themes: (1) Being emotionally overwhelmed, (2) Wanting to be cared for and (3) Finding a way back to life. Conclusion Patients and their close family members experienced the course of illness as a challenging journey where they longed for life to become as it was before illness. They experienced illness as a sudden life‐threatening incidence. In this situation, it was crucial to be met with empathy from healthcare professionals. The patients’ experience of fatigue and powerlessness remained intense one month after discharge and affected their and their close family members’ lives.

Background: Involving patients and families in nursing care is essential to improve patients' health outcomes. Furthermore, families play an essential role in supporting patients by helping nurses understand the patient's everyday life. However, families also need support. Involvement of patients and families is especially important when patients are transferred between hospital and home as transitions heighten the risk of compromising quality and safety in care. However, no consensus exists on how to involve them. Consequently, this may challenge a systematic approach toward patient and family involvement. Aim:To describe hospital and homecare nurses' experiences with involving patients and their family members in nursing care in the transition between hospital and municipalities.Method: Focus group interviews were conducted in the Gastro unit at a large university hospital in Denmark. Participants included 10 hospital nurses from three wards at the Gastro unit and six homecare nurses from one of three municipalities in the hospital catchment area (total n = 16). Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The study is reported according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research.Findings: Our analysis revealed one overall theme -"The complexity of involvement" -based on four categories: gap between healthcare sectors increases the need for patient and family involvement, lack of time is a barrier to patient and family involvement, involvement is more than information, and involvement as a balancing act. Conclusion:The nurses experienced patients' and families' involvement as essential, but a discrepancy was found between nurses' intentions and their actions.Aspects related to a gap between healthcare sectors and various understandings of involvement challenged the systematic involvement of patients and families in the transition between healthcare sectors. However, the nurses were highly motivated