Older South Sami women and men's expectations regarding home healthcare in Sweden

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the views and expectations concerning home healthcare from the perspective of older South Sami women and men in comparison with each other. Study design and methods: In this study, 56 older South Sami women (n=31) and men (n=25) were interviewed by telephone, using semi-structured interviews. Data was subjected to qualitative content analysis. Results: Our results revealed both similarities and some slight differences between the male and female participants. Both male and female participants expected the same care providers over time, in addition to expecting competence. Additionally, our female participants stressed that care providers should use time in their encounters with them as care receivers. For some female participants, this was related to competence. The findings also revealed that the care providers' cultural backgrounds were of importance to both female and male participants, even if female participants preferred care providers with a South Sami background to a greater extent. The male participants stressed that having care providers with a South Sami background could be of importance, but they were more concerned about the care providers' competence in the encounters with them as future care receivers. The main findings show that older South Sami women and men mostly have similar expectations of future home healthcare. Conclusions: Our results highlight that having the same care providers over time, with the necessary competence, is of importance to our participants. Additionally, participants prefer their care providers to have a South Sami background - although not at the expense of competence - and this was especially highlighted by the South Sami men.