Are we in this together? Exploring occupations in home care by applying the concept of enacted togetherness

This narrative-in-action study applied the concept of enacted togetherness within the context of home care. The focus was on the unfolding of occupations among home care workers in their work with older persons. Using a transactional perspective, this study considers how the home care context—including persons, materials, and spaces—shapes occupations and the experience of enacted togetherness. Temporal weavings of past experiences, present circumstances, and future possibilities or expectations of care are woven into the unfolding experiences of togetherness. Data were generated through participant observations of four home care workers during portions of their work shifts with and between clients, over 6 months, documented in field notes with sketching and subsequent narrative interviews. Narrative analysis yielded three vignettes: Occupying a transient void, Ambiguous paths to transformation, and Jamming in the shower. Through establishing a plural subject, a ‘we’, between colleagues or between workers and older persons, the transformative and transactional nature of occupation is allowed to unfold through enacted togetherness. Each vignette exposes overlapping layers of enacted togetherness with catalyzing or hindering potential to being, becoming, and belonging. Such interconnections position experiences of enacted togetherness in home care as precarious.