Home as a signification of independence and autonomy: experiences among very old Swedish people

The aim of this study was to explore independence in the home as experienced by very old single-living people in Sweden. A grounded theory approach was used and interviews were conducted with 40 men and women aged 80-89. Data analysis revealed the core category "Home as a signification of independence" with two main categories: "Struggle for independence" and "Governing daily life". The findings showed that home is strongly linked to independence, and being independent is extremely valued. Explicit descriptions of the ageing process as an individual process of changing living conditions within the home emerged from the findings. Hence, the ageing process influences the participants' perception of themselves as independent persons. Along the ageing process the participants' view of independence changed from being independent in activity performance without help from others to experiencing independence in being able to make autonomous decisions concerning daily life at home. Consequently, there is a need to develop strategies to support very old people in staying as active and independent as possible in their own homes. In addition, since the findings highlight that independence is a complex construct, there is a need for conceptual differentiation between independence and a construct often used synonymously, namely autonomy.