Background: There is currently a lack of literature on everyday life concerns and priorities in residential care facilities and how it affects the experience of the facility as a home in a Swedish context. This study hopes to contribute to closing the gap in knowledge through a participatory research approach. Aim: This study aimed to identify concerns and priorities in everyday life, as experienced by older persons living in residential care facilities. Methods: Thirteen frail older persons living in residential care facilities were involved in this study that applied photo elicitation interviews. This meant that the older persons were asked to take photos of their home in everyday life, and the photos were then followed up with individual interviews. The interviews and photos were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Preliminary results: The findings of this study are divided into core themes with the overarching theme: Everyday life is governed by institutional cultures, which meant that the residential care facility functioned as an institution with rules, norms, and routines that influenced both what the older persons did and how they experienced their everyday lives. This is further described in the core themes: The importance of dialogue and A game of power between older persons and staff, both with subthemes. Preliminary conclusions: The main conclusion is that the experience of the home as being governed by institutional cultures, and that the cultures were permeated by the scarcity of meaningful dialogue and a game of power. Power, dialogue, and culture are interdependent of each other. Person-centred climate was not always achieved and the result reveals areas where more research needs to be done, such as the prerequisites for residential care facilities of facilitating person centred care. Keywords: residential care facility, frailty, photo elicitation, participatory research, nursing homes, qualitative methods, dementia