[Self-determination of elderly persons with care needs: three case reports on individual and environmental resources of elderly persons].

The project Neighbourhood examined the opportunities for self-determination of older people with care needs and their social, spatial, and individual requirements. This article is based on three case reports on women from lower social milieus living on their own. The case reports show on which individual resources women relay in their everyday life and which environmental conditions help to enable or limit self-determination. The synopsis of the three cases reveals opportunities to support social participation and self-determination of persons with care needs on a local level. The concluding recommendations focus on requirements for networking and fundamentals for an easy access to counseling, supply and participatory structures.