The purpose of our work is to investigate how public administrators relate to individuals' self- determination and, if so, how it manifests in the working process. We would also like to investigate the different factors that could influence the self- determination of the elderly. To get answers to our purpose we have come up with the following research questions: What knowledge do the public administrators have about the core values? How will the self- determination of the elderly express itself in the working process? How much space is assigned to the self- determination of the elderly in the working process? What are the guidelines and routines in the public sector regarding the working process and do these affect the elderlies influence and participation?Our investigation builds on a qualitative platform where we have presupposed the perspective of the participants and targeted the public administrators perceptive and experience regarding self- determination in the working process. The method we have used is semi-structured interviews with where we have interviewed six accommodation public servants employed within Malmö Stad. We have then, based on our collected material, chosen relevant theories to analyse our empiric material. We have chosen the theoretical concept of limitation and the salutogenic perspective. The investigation reveals that the public servants have two ways to view core values and self- determination. Other conclusions we have discovered is that accommodation public servants have different approaches regarding the limitations of their work process. We have also identified conclusions that capture how the guidelines and routines in the public sector are followed and in what way this may affect the participation and influence of the elderly, Next of kin reveals itself as a restricting factor for the self- determination of the elderly in certain situations. We have noticed that a salutogene perspective stands out in the public servants work process as they adapt the self- determination by the individuals understanding and abilities.Keywords: Aid, autonomy, kin, public administrators, participation, working process, influence, national value base, self-determination, retirement home, elderly.