Livsviktig läsning : En fallstudie av ett biblioterapeutiskt projekt på ett finskt äldreboende i Stockholms län

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this two years master thesis is to examine the potential benefits of using bibliotherapy on elderly Finnish immigrants residing in Sweden and living in geriatric care. The basis of the study is a four week long bibliotherapeutic project implemented at a nursing home for Finnish-speaking people in Stockholm County.Participants were men and women spanning in age from 70 to 90 years old. Common for all the participants was that they had lived their entire adult life in Sweden, their only language was Finnish, and they had the diagnosis of dementia. The study examines the bibliotherapeutic model of Arleen McCarty Hynes and Mary Hynes-Berry, as well as Inger Eriksson’s approach for the use of bibliotherapy in nursing homes and hospices.The empirical analysis is based on field notes from the bibliotherapeutic sessions and from interviews with librarians and nurses involved in the project. The results of the case study indicate that literature stimulates memory and works as a catalyzer for thoughts and discussions of the participants’ earlier lives. The type of literature that most engrossed and stimulated the participants was realistic stories of common life, places and events in Finland. The literature can be viewed as a link to the participants’ past, and it gives them a feeling of continuity and coherence with their life. In these ways, literature can be supportive to the aging process and the reinforcementof the ethnic community. The social interaction and the use of their native language during the sessions are also important factors for strengthening the participants’ confidence and identity.