Aim: To explore whether foreign-born background and gender have any relevance to the ways in which older people’s needs are described in case files used in need assessment practice within Swedish elderly care.

Methods:  The data – which has been analyzed using quantitative and qualitative content analysis - is comprised of case files (n=202) containing investigations (n=488) into requests for welfare services.

Findings: The analysis suggests that the backgrounds in question have relevance for the documentation of needs in case files. Differences between how the needs of Swedish-born and foreign-born older people are described in these case files can be discerned.

Conclusion: The findings raise questions about the implications that different backgrounds can have in case documentation and the ways in which this may impact resource allocation within elderly care. As such, these findings problematize the role that background can have for constructions of ‘clienthood’ in need assessment practice.