To maintain older family members lifestyle and self-identity for a meaningful daily life in nursing homes and home care – The relatives’ perspective

Abstract

In Sweden, national guidelines have been introduced to ensure that older persons in need of health care and social services enjoy a meaningful daily life. When new guidelines are introduced in elderly care, the experience of the older persons or their relatives are seldom taken into account as the guidelines often are formulated from using a top-down approach. Therefore the aim was to describe relatives experience about obstacles and opportunities for a meaningful daily life for their older family member. The analysis was based on a qualitative content analysis. Five themes describe how a meaningful daily life can be created and one overall theme emerged that describe a meaningful daily life as “In partnership to maintain the family member’s routines and habits in an everyday rhythm filled with meaning, in a home like environment and in community with others”.