"Jag vill, men det går inte" -En studie om äldres uppfattningar kring sina möjligheter till självförverkligande på vårdboende

Sammanfattning: Self-actualization is a concept descriptive of when a person- through self-determined activities and realizations of one's highest potential- can live a meaningful life. This study aims to investigate whether elderly welfare users living in nursing homes in Sweden consider self-actualization to be possible to achieve or not. Factors that may facilitate and inhibit their possibilities are also investigated. A total of eight residents of three different nursing homes in Malmö participated in semi-structured interviews in order to attain empirical material for the study. Determined by this study is that the possibility to achieve self-actualization in nursing homes in Sweden varies. It is found that relationships, trust, and participation in matters relating to oneself, are significant factors to access in order for the respondents to achieve self-actualization. It is also found that there are different factors that both facilitate and inhibit the possibility to achieve self-actualization. Such as functional impairments, lack of relationships and limitations to influence matters concerning oneself.