Suchergebnisse

Meaningfulness is a fundamental aspect in the promotion of frail older adults' health and well-being. From a salutogenic point of view, meaningfulness is a vital component of a sense of coherence (SOC), since having a strong SOC aids toward assembling the resources needed to cope with stressors and manage tensions with success. In order to respond to the challenges of population aging and the need to enable frail older adults to live at home for as long as possible, it is important to explore their meaningfulness in the context of home-based care. A salutogenic framework was used to study meaningfulness. The aim was to explore what promotes meaningfulness among frail older adults. The study uses a hermeneutical approach and has a qualitative design. In total, 17 frail older adults were interviewed. The data were analyzed by content analysis. The results uncovered four themes that the respondents considered important in enhancing meaningfulness in daily life: home care personnel, outdoor activities and green spaces, cultural activities and spirituality. Our study revealed the important role of home care personnel as a resource in promoting meaningfulness in the context of home-based care. Hence, this group should be given sufficient resources, knowledge and competence for enabling meaningfulness and thus a SOC amongst frail older adults.

Previous studies suggest that older adults from minority linguistic groups are at a higher risk of experiencing social exclusion, with service exclusion being a highly evident form. This article explores how Swedish- speaking older adults in Finland experience the availability and adequacy of services in their first language and how their experiences are linked to social exclusion. Anchored in the intersection between two dimensions of social exclusion, service exclusion and identity exclusion, this study presents findings from 14 semi-structured interviews with uni- and bilingual Swedish-speaking older adults. The results indicate that inequitable access to services and facing language discordant services can shape experiences of exclusion. The inability to receive everyday services in Swedish further fosters feelings of inferiority and identity discrimination. This study findings contribute to the social gerontologicalliterature on social exclusion and demonstrate how identity intersections with service exclusion.