Resistant, adaptive, and supported agency – Examining narratives of Finnish older home care clients

The purpose of this article is to increase our understanding of agency in older home care clients living in Finland. Twenty older home care clients (12 women, eight men) aged 73 and over were interviewed using a thematic interview. The stories narrated in the interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis, resulting in three forms of agency: resistant, adaptive, and supported. The findings show that older adults see themselves – despite their need for help and support – as capable individuals who challenge perceptions of being just objects of care. The stories of the older home care clients made visible how older adults with care needs maintain an experience of continuity of selfhood through agency. Home care workers play an important role in recognizing older home care clients' agency and in supporting their personhood and subjectivity. • Older home care clients perceive themselves as capable individuals who can cope despite their need for help and support. • Stories reveal how older adults with care needs maintain an experience of continuity of selfhood through their agency. • The agency of older home care clients is flexible and involves forms of resistant, adaptive, and supported agency. • Home care workers are key in recognizing older clients' agency and supporting their personhood and subjectivity.