What is good elderly care in Japan and Sweden? A study on how managers of residential care facilities describe care arrangements Håkan Jönson, Lund University Haruko Watanabe, Hiroshima International University

Objectives  To investigate perceptions of good care among managers of residential elderly care in Japan and Sweden (using a comparative approach).  To analyze the use of cultural references as accounts for care arrangements.

Method  The study was based on 16 semi structured interviews with managers of residential care in Japan and Sweden.  Sample: Care facilities of similar kind.  Design/strategy: We interviewed in each others’ countries – as cultural strangers.  Interviews were translated into English (transcribed).

Findings I  Japanese managers expressed more doubts than their Swedish peers about the possibilities of providing good care.  The way managers described policies and goals differed.  A self-help approach relating to the activity paradigm was prominent when Swedish managers described good care but absent in our Japanese interviews.

Findings II  References to cultural differences appeared as accounts but mostly in combination with references to age and generational belonging.  The design of the study elicited answers relating to a common understanding about a specific teach and learn relation between Sweden and Japan as welfare societies.