Abstract Aim: Frail and vulnerable adults are divested of meaningful encounters when modernization and urbanization force them to embrace an unconventional residential care environment as a home. The aim of this article is to report on a study of SeSotho elders living in residential care to illustrate how more meaningful and culturally relevant experiences could be facilitated for them. Methods. A content analysis was done of the individual opinions of 15 collaborators as a secondary scrutiny of information obtained during a nominal group process. Major findings. Findings revealed that elders were prone to experience loneliness, helplessness, and boredom due to situations dominated by occupational injustice. Co-occupations, training of staff, and environmental adaptations that allow a sense of interdependence could contribute in facilitating occupational justice for elders from a traditional South African indigenous background living in residential care. Principal conclusion. Human dignity and respect are...