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This qualitative multiperspective study explores the ontological condition of \u201cbeing relative\u201d beyond these functional categories. Analysing 30 \u201cIntegrated Encounter Analyses\u201d from two Swiss facilities, which synthesised participant observations and interviews, we identified eight constitutive dimensions organised into Situational, Relational, and Spatial-Temporal meta-dimensions. Findings reveal \u201cbeing relative\u201d not as a static role but as a dynamic movement across continua \u2013 oscillating between alienation and resonance, and institutional subjection and strategic agency. We conclude that \u201cbeing relative\u201d is a distinct existential condition characterised by permanent liminality \u2013 dwelling in the in-between rather than transitioning through it. The institutional context fundamentally shapes this existential condition: agency manifests not as resistance against but as quiet negotiation within constraints. Institutions must therefore validate the existence of this threshold and support relatives\u2019 navigational competencies rather than forcing binary categorisations of visitors or partners.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/23333936261454128","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T09:10:25Z","timestamp":1782205825000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Towards a Multidimensional Understanding of \u201cBeing Relative\u201d in Residential Long-Term Care: Findings From a Qualitative Multiperspective Study"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3756-7660","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rouven","family":"Brenner","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Vienna, Austria"},{"name":"Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, St. Gallen, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2399-8689","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Heidrun","family":"Gattinger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, St. Gallen, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hanna","family":"Mayer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Balcom S. 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