Facts

Contact person:
Dana Hagström
Financer:
  • Forte
Project members at MaU:
Time frame:
01 September 2021 - 01 May 2026
Faculty/department:
Research subject:

Project description

Being able to communicate, to understand and to be understood is a prerequisite for human relations and a right emphasised in the UN Declaration of Human Rights. In social care for older adults, difficulties in communication often arise between users and staff, which can hinder users' opportunities for participation and self-determination. Alternative communication methods and tools can often help in these cases, but only if they are in place and used.

This study examines the practice of alternative communication in residential care homes for older people, where communication difficulties arise between users and staff. Focusing on information exchanges in everyday situations in somatic care homes, it studies how the interaction between staff and the older adult is affected by tools, knowledge and conditions. The aim is to gain knowledge about how staff and users use and describe their experience of different communication methods and tools, and to what extent these enable participation and self-determination for the older person.