The total number of persons living with dementia is estimated to double every 20 years and ageing migrant populations are growing in several countries. There are gaps in the health and social care of people from other countries, regardless of the efforts made when someone has a dementia diagnosis; similarly, receiving care in sheltered accommodation is less common. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the nursing staff's experiences of caring for non-Swedish speaking persons living with dementia in a Finnish speaking group home in relation to a Swedish speaking group home in Sweden. 27 qualitative semi-structured interviews were analysed using qualitative content analyses. The first main category, "communication", concentrated on language abilities and deficiencies, non-verbal language, highlighting the consequences of not understanding and the benefits of a common language. The second main category, "culturally oriented activities", focused on being served traditional food, celebrating holidays at the group home, the importance of traditions and the importance of familiar music as cultural elements. The Swedish speaking nursing staff could provide qualitative and equitable care, but the challenge was greater for them than for the bilingual nursing staff who spoke the same language as the residents.

BackgroundWorldwide, there is a growing population of older people who develop dementia in a country other than that of their origin. When their dementia has reached an advanced stage, residential care is most often needed. People with dementia in Sweden are often cared for in group homes. For immigrants, this may mean a linguistically challenging care environment for both healthcare staff and the patients’ family members.The aim of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of family members and professional caregivers regarding the care provided to immigrants with dementia in group homes in Sweden.MethodsAn exploratory, descriptive study with a qualitative approach was chosen. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine professional caregivers and five family members of people with dementia with Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian and Ingrian backgrounds; all were chosen purposefully. All people with dementia had lost their Swedish language skills as their second language. The data was analysed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsThree main categories and seven subcategories were identified. The first main category: A new living situation comprised the subcategories: adjusting to new living arrangements and expectations regarding activities and traditional food at the group home, the second main category: Challenges in communication with the subcategories: limited communication between the immigrant with dementia and the Swedish-speaking nursing staff and the consequences of linguistic misunderstandings and nuanced communication in a common language and the third main category: The role of the family member at the group home with the subcategories: a link to the healthy life story of the family member with dementia and an expert and interpreter for the nursing staff.ConclusionsThe family member played a crucial role in the lives of immigrants with dementia living in a group home by facilitating communication between the nursing staff and the PWD and also by making it possible for PWD to access the cultural activities they wanted and which professional caregivers were either not able to recognise as needed or could not deliver.

Background Health, participation, and security are the basic pillars of active ageing suggested by the WHO. The concept is used by professionals but requires exploration from the perspectives of older people themselves. This study aims to explore how older adults experience and describe health, participation, and security. Methods A qualitative research approach was used based on open-ended interviews with 20 older Thai adults aged 60–92 years. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results The results showed perspectives related to experiences of daily life and local culture. Health while ageing, was described as the absence of barriers to continued daily living, combined with a peaceful and adaptive mindset. Participation was described as maintaining social networks and being a formal volunteer, with an emphasis on the “making of merits”, of meaningful activities and being respected. Security was described as manageable living conditions and managing to finalize life well by balancing dependency and independency in relation to children to sustain the traditional value of gratitude between generations. Conclusions These understandings will support healthy policy planning by providing resources and activities that relate to older Thai adults’ perspectives of health, participation and security and ultimately contribute to a better quality of life.

Background: The total number of people with dementia symptoms is expected to double every 20 years and there will also be an increase in the number of older immigrants in several countries. There are considerable deficiencies in the present knowledge of how to conduct well-functioning health care for immigrants with dementia symptoms. The aim of this study was to explore caring and uncaring encounters between assistant nurses and immigrants in two group homes for persons with dementia symptoms in Sweden: a Finnish-speaking as well as a Swedish-speaking context. In addition, this study aims to describe how caring and uncaring encounters are manifested in these two contexts according to Halldórsdóttir’s theory of “Caring and Uncaring encounters”. Method: Descriptive field notes from 30 separate observations were analyzed using qualitative deductive content analysis. Results: The main category “caring encounters” focused on reaching out to initiate connection through communication, removing masks of anonymity by acknowledging the unique person, acknowledgment of connection by being personal. Reaching a level of truthfulness by being present and showing respect, raising the level of solidarity by equality and true negotiation of care, based on the residents’ needs. The main category, uncaring encounters, focused on disinterest in and insensitivity towards the other, coldness in the connection and lack of humanity in care situations. The observations showed that caring encounters occurred more in the Finnish-speaking context and uncaring encounters more often in the Swedish context. Conclusion: Encounters could be caring, uncaring, and carried out using a person-centered approach. Communication and relationships could be facilitated using the same language but also through learning to interpret residents’ needs and desires.