Individual care and personal space in assisted living in Sweden

This article presents a qualitative research project, which explores the relationship between individual care and personal space in assisted living in Sweden. The results were generated from 15-months of observational fieldwork and 22 individual interviews with staff members and ten residents. The research revealed two spatial levels significant to individual care practice: the higher level of architectural spatial configuration and the lower level of spatial micro-conditions. Inflexibility at the first level had to be compensated for by staff strategies at the second. Advantageous conditions at both levels offer a dynamic architectural situation to the staff, in which individual care may arise and thrive.