Background: Shortcomings in elderly care have been reported in many parts of the world, including Sweden.\nHowever, national guidelines for elderly care have been introduced in Sweden, which contain core values and local\nguarantees of dignity. These highlight the need for dignity and well-being, and organising the older person�s daily\nlife so that they perceive it as meaningful. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to describe older persons�\nexperience and knowledge about obstacles, opportunities and solutions to developing a meaningful daily life for\nthose living in nursing homes.\nMethods: This study combined the Participatory Appreciative Action Reflection (PAAR) and hermeneutic\napproaches. Twenty-five older persons participated and persons with dementia or cognitive impairments were\nincluded. Repeated interviews were carried out as reflective conversations, leaving 50 interviews in total, wherein\nthe older persons provided their analyses and reflections on a meaningful daily life. Finally, an analysis of the data\nwas completed based on a life-world hermeneutic approach.\nResults: We identified five tentative interpretations that describe obstacles, opportunities and solutions for a\nmeaningful daily life. Themes 2 and 4 outline obstacles for a meaningful daily life, and Themes 1, 3 and 5 describe\nopportunities and solutions for a meaningful daily life: (1) Having space to be yourself; (2) No space to be yourself;\n(3) Belonging and security; (4) A feeling of insecurity; and (5) Longing for something to happen. In the main\ninterpretation, we found that the five tentative interpretations are related to Tuan�s concepts of space and place,\nwhere place can be described as security and stableness, and space as freedom and openness.\nConclusions: The reciprocal relationship is a solution for a meaningful daily life and occurs in the interaction\nbetween staff and older persons in nursing homes. It is the balance of power, and constitutes a place of shelter\nand a space of freedom for a meaningful daily life. The older person must have balance between shelter and\nfreedom to have a meaningful daily life.
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