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Tässä laadullisessa tutkimuksessa selvitimme, miten muistisairautta sairastava ikääntyvä puoliso ja hänen puoliso-omaishoitajansa kuvaavat muistisairaan puolison toimijuutta parisuhteessa. Analysoimme aineiston sisällönanalyysin keinoin. Muodostimme aineistosta neljä pääteemaa. Puoliso-omaishoitajat kuvasivat muistisairaan toimijuutta eri tavalla kuin sairastavat itse. Puoliso-omaishoitaja kuvasi muistisairaan puolison toimijuutta touhuamisena, mutta sairastavalla käyttäytymisen taustalla oli huoli kotitöistä. Kun muistisairas puoliso havaitsi, ettei kykene tekemään jotakin, mielenkiinto asiaa kohtaan väheni. Puoliso-omaishoitaja näki tilanteessa aloitekyvyttömyyttä. Parisuhteen yhteisissä sosiaalisissa tilanteissa muistisairautta sairastava oli tilanteesta ja ihmisestä riippuen aktiivisena toimijana tai aktiivisena tarkkailijana, itse toimintatapansa valiten. Puoliso-omaishoitajan näkökulmasta puoliso vetäytyi syrjään. Muistisairas puoliso vaikutti myös puoliso-omaishoitajan toimijuuteen vaatimalla läsnäoloa, jolloin tämä joutui osittain luopumaan omasta toimijuudestaan ja toimimaan puolisonsa ehdoilla. Muistisairauteen sairastuneet ovat aktiivisia toimijoita vuorovaikutuksessa muiden ihmisten kanssa omilla ehdoillaan tilanteesta riippuen. He hakevat toimijuuden jakamista puolisonsa kanssa niissä tilanteissa, joissa se on mahdollista, vaikka puoliso-omaishoitajan näkökulmasta kyse ei olisi vastavuoroisesta toimijuudesta. Jaettu toimijuus tukee muistisairautta sairastavan puolison yhteisessä arjessa selviytymistä. The agency of an ageing spouse with dementia This qualitative study examines how older spouses and their spouses with dementia describe the agency of a spouse with dementia in the relationship. Four themes were formed from the data. The caregiver spouses’ descriptions of the agency of a spouse with dementia differed from those of the spouse with dementia. From the perspective of a spousal carer, the agency of a person with dementia was described as hustling and bustling, but from the perspective of a spouse with dementia, behind the activity was the worry about doing housework. When a person with dementia found him/herself unable to do something anymore, he/she gave it up or his/her interest waned, while the spousal carer described it as inability to take initiative to act. In social situations shared by the couple, the spouse with dementia was, depending on the situation and the person, either an active actor or active observer without participating in the discussions. A spouse with dementia forced the spousal carer to partially relinquish his/her own agency and to act on the terms of the spouse with dementia and to be always present. Persons with dementia are not just passive targets. Their agency is active in interacting with other people on their own terms, depending on the situation. They actively share their agency with their spouse in situations where it is possible, even if it is not reciprocal from the point of view of the spousal caregiver.

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Family members are important providers of care for older people. In residential long-term care, however, their role is not always simple and straightforward: responsibility for care provision rests officially with staff members, but in practice family members often contribute to providing care. The main reason for admission to long-term care is functional decline. At the same time, the maintenance of functional ability is a central goal in long-term care. It is therefore reasonable to assume that functional ability is also an important factor in the relationship between family members and long-term care residents. This study aims to explore how family members experience their role in supporting the functional ability of older relatives in residential long-term care. With the approval of the local hospital district's ethics committee, we conducted semi-structured interviews with family members (n = 16) in Finland in 2016. Thematic data analysis showed that family members supported the functional ability of their older parent or spouse by organising and monitoring care and by bringing forth their relative's personal needs and wishes. They often saw their role alongside staff members as ambiguous, and their understanding of the scope of support for functioning extended beyond physical everyday tasks. In their talk, family members broadened the concept of functional ability from daily chores and independence to meaningful social relations and acknowledgement of person's individual background and preferences. Family members’ views offer valuable insights into residents’ personal needs, values and preferences and in doing so help care workers to support their functional ability with a person-centred care approach. publishedVersion

The COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be most dangerous for older people, and therefore the restrictions and recommendations to avoid social contact have concerned them more than other age groups. In this article, we examine how the pandemic has affected older people’s lives and well-being. Our data come from telephone interviews with 31 people (aged 64–96) conducted during summer 2020. The data were analysed using content analysis. Our results show that the period of restrictions imposed during the pandemic affected the lives of older people in many different ways. Many felt that their everyday lives had remained the same or changed only a little. Some felt that their lives had become worse, and some that they had become better. For many interviewees, life before the pandemic had been so challenging, and social contact so rare, that the pandemic restrictions did not make their situation any worse. Many had developed innovative new ways to behave safely, and this enabled them to continue their everyday lives almost unchanged. The built environment, such as walkways and green spaces, had become more important for well-being. Connecting with other people by telephone was also important for well-being. However, new technologies to support meetings online played no significant role, except for the few interviewees who were familiar with them. Older people were fairly adaptive and flexible in their everyday lives, and their life experience influenced their ability to face various challenges during the pandemic. publishedVersion

Background: In different parts of the world new models of senior housing have rapidly appeared, which indicates that existing housing and care models are not fulfilling the hopes and needs of current and new generations of older people. Material and Methods: This qualitative study focuses on one type of communal senior housing complex located in a mid-sized town in Central Finland. The complex was designed to have accessible low-maintenance apartments and common spaces, and to be near easily accessible green spaces, amenities, services, and public transport. The complex has a part-time community coordinator. The minimum age limit is set at 55 years. The data consists of 36 qualitative interviews with residents (21 women, 15 men) aged 66–93, conducted between November 2018 and February 2019. The semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed. The data analysis focused on how different aspects of the manmade, natural, and social environment were portrayed in residents' descriptions of day-to-day life. Theoretical framework adopted for the study draws from the ideas of environmental and geographic gerontology. The data was analyzed using positioning analysis which is one form of discourse analysis. Results: The senior housing in this study fulfilled its promise of providing accessible a physical and social environment which encourages and enables residents to be physically active and independent, yet which also provides social activities and feeling safe. In this respect, the senior housing complex offered an environment which supports well-being and healthy aging. However, the residents' interpretations of what the senior housing complex represented varied. For some of the residents it was first and foremost a social place, which provided opportunities for social contacts and social activities. For some of the residents the most important were maintenance-free apartments and outdoor areas. The question remains as to how social practices, in the form of government policies and market systems can support the development of different kinds of senior housing which are affordable and accessible for all. publishedVersion

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