Focusing on Swedish home care for older people, this article explores the discursive (re)production of home care as an institution. Equality and universal service provision have been described as defining features of the Nordic care regime. At the same time, Nordic research has highlighted a shift in social care policy, from a focus on universalism and egalitarian ideals towards a focus on freedom of choice, diversity and individualised services. This article takes as a starting point that home care for older people is formed by different and potentially conflicting ideas. We understand home care as a contested formation and define institutional change in terms of ongoing discursive struggles. The analysis draws on qualitative semi-structured interviews with key informants, including politicians, local authority officials and representatives of interest organisations. Informants were engaged in policy making, implementation or advocacy related to care for older people. We examine the meanings attached to home care for older people and the analysis reveals three different discourses – on choice, needs and equality. By comparing and contrasting discourses, we reveal silences, conflicts and tensions, and highlight the politics involved in (re)creating home care as an institution.

本文以瑞典老年人的家庭护理为重点，探讨了作为机构的家庭护理的话语性（再）生产。平等和普遍提供服务已被描述为北欧护理制度的特征。同时，北欧的研究强调了社会护理政策的转变，从对普遍主义和平均主义理想的关注转向对选择自由，多样性和个性化服务的关注。本文以起点为出发点，认为老年人的家庭护理是由不同且可能相互矛盾的想法构成的。我们将家庭护理理解为有争议的组织，并根据正在进行的话语斗争来定义机构的变化。该分析基于对主要政治人物（包括政治人物）的定性半结构化访谈，地方政府官员和利益组织的代表。告密者从事与老年人照料有关的政策制定，实施或宣传。我们研究了老年人居家护理的意义，分析揭示了三种不同的话语：选择，需求和平等。通过比较和对比各种话语，我们揭示出沉默，冲突和紧张关系，并强调涉及（重新）创建家庭护理机构的政治。