Nursing homes have been criticised for not providing a home for their residents. This article aims to provide insight into (1) the features of home and institution as experienced by residents and caregivers of a secured ward in a nursing home, and (2) how interventions implemented on the ward can contribute to a more home-like environment. For this purpose, a participatory intervention study, involving both caregivers and residents, was carried out. We collected data through qualitative research methods: observations, in-depth interviews and diaries to evaluate the interventions over time. We adopted an informed grounded theory approach, and used conceptualisations of total institutions and home as a theoretical lens. We found that the studied ward had strong characteristics of a total institution, such as batch living, block treatment and limited privacy. To increase the sense of home, interventions were formulated and implemented by the caregivers to increase the residents' autonomy, control and privacy. In this process, caregivers' perceptions and attitudes towards the provision of care shifted from task-oriented to person-centred care. We conclude that it is possible to increase the home-like character of a secured ward by introducing core values of home by means of interventions involving both caregivers and residents.

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Roadside memorials are frequently visible in the Netherlands. Such a memorial marks a previously anonymous roadside, which is transformed into a place with special, even sacred, meanings to the bereaved, as it is the place where their loved one has died. We look at these memorials from a geographical point of view, i.e. we discuss the memorials as meaningful places. How do these places look, how do they function and what do they mean? We created a database consisting of information on more than 300 memorials, including photographs of about 150 of these and we interviewed 24 bereaved who established a memorial. The exact geographical location of the fatal traffic accident turns out to be crucial as it marks the ultimate transformative event that has taken place: from life to death. Temporary memorials are mainly established by friends, whereas parents construct more permanent ones. We argue that roadside memorials are part of wider communication networks. They provide a place for the bereaved to communicate not only with the deceased, but also with the outside world about what they consider a 'bad death'. Consequently, the establishment, maintenance and communication possibilities of roadside memorials constitute a way to give meaning to an otherwise senseless death.

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