[Bedriddenness and sociospatial participation-A reflection]

Many older people are affected by immobility, which can eventually lead to becoming bedridden. Being bedridden is a significant issue for those affected as it carries considerable physical, psychological and social risks and has far-reaching consequences for a person's ability to participate.

Whether and to what extent can spatial sociology concepts be used and applied to demonstrate the effects on the participation of bedridden people in residential care facilities and what contribution can they make in this context?

The basic assumptions of the sociology of space and Martina Löw's specific concept of spatial sociology are briefly introduced. The fundamental understanding of social spaces as products of a practice of arranging people and things according to structures is used to analyze practices that promote or hinder participation. In this context, a concept of participation is outlined that defines participatory opportunities as the relationship between the capacity to arrange elements into sociospatial configurations and the risk of being merely arranged by others. This analytical framework is then be tested by applying it to two case studies drawn from an observational study on the design of social interactions in nursing homes. Finally, an initial reflection is offered on whether and how spatial sociology can contribute to enhancing the participation of bedridden individuals.

Applying a spatial-sociological perspective to questions of participation in bedriddenness raises awareness of the consequences of placing people in relation to one another and to the objects in their surroundings. The arrangement of residents in relation to and among other "care-related objects" creates a relational space with specific possibilities for perception and interaction. Residents' freedom of action within these functional arrangements is limited. In order to improve their opportunities for participation, institutional processes of arranging people and objects must be reflected upon and "environments" must be designed to be open.

There is a need for research on the participation of bedridden people that focuses on the relationship between space, participation and immobility at the spatiosociological level.