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Most studies concerning older people's health and well-being have focused on their ill health, disease and complaints and have mainly been conducted with a quantitative design. Hence, there is still a need for qualitative studies in which these peoples' own views on health and well-being are shown, especially when they are dependent on health care in a community setting. A qualitative approach was used in the study reported here and aimed at obtaining a deeper understanding of older peoples' own views about their health and well-being. Interviews were carried out on two occasions with 19 older people living in their own homes and in sheltered accommodation. The data were analysed using content analysis. The findings suggested that the possibility to feel healthy was dependent both on the older person's own ability to adjust or compensate to their situation, and on how their caregivers, relatives and friends could compensate for the obstacles the older person faced. The subcategories that captured the informants' experiences of health and ill health were described as positive and negative poles of autonomy, togetherness, tranquillity and security in daily life. The significance of the caregivers was clearly evident. Their competence, commitment and treatment were prerequisites for the older person's ability to experience health in spite of being dependent on care.

In spite of a considerable body of research in the past decades on what does or does not constitute good care for older people, there are still few studies addressing this question in which older people narrate their experiences of being dependent on community care. This study was therefore carried out aiming to explore older people's lived experiences of what good and bad care meant to them, when it was offered by community care services. Nineteen older persons in three Swedish communities participated in the study, which used a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. Data were collected through unstructured interviews and Colaizzi's framework was utilized in the analysis of the data. The key theme arising from the analysis was that of being encountered as a human being by caregivers who, through the provision of safe and secure care, provide opportunities for living life as usual. When any of these circumstances are lacking, bad care will be the consequence. As the general intention in society is to ensure good quality of care to older people as well as others, the findings in our study should have important implications for providers of community care for older people.