The meaning of the experience of being cared for by elderly Chinese immigrants in Sweden

Abstract: Background: The elderly Chinese group is growing in Sweden but no studies about their experiences of being cared for were found. In order to meet the elderly Chinese need for care, it is necessary to understand their perspectives of being cared for. Aim: To describe the meaning of the experiences of being cared for by elderly Chinese immigrants in a Swedish context. Method: For this phenomenological study, open-end interviews were carried out with 7 informants originally from Mainland China and Hong Kong. Result and Conclusion: For the elderly Chinese in Sweden, ‘being cared for’ means being involved in a caring community, to have a mutual relationship with someone who can see and understand their needs. In such a relationship, they felt that they were included and respected. They were being treated as valuable with a genuine manner. They had a feeling of satisfaction, happiness, peacefulness, closeness, togetherness, and wholeness when ‘being cared for’. For these elderly Chinese immigrants, informal care was indispensable even when they were receiving formal care. They wished that their family could show concern and formal caregivers could understand and give space to the informal caregivers on caregiving.