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Perceptions of home in long-term care settings: before and after institutional relocation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2019

Mineko Wada ,
Sarah L. Canham ,
Lupin Battersby ,
Judith Sixsmith ,
Ryan Woolrych ,
Mei Lan Fang  and
Andrew Sixsmith
Mineko Wada*
Affiliation:
Science and Technology for Aging Research (STAR) Institute, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Sarah L. Canham
Affiliation:
Gerontology Research Centre, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Lupin Battersby
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada BC Support Unit Fraser Centre, Surrey, BC, Canada
Judith Sixsmith
Affiliation:
School of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
Ryan Woolrych
Affiliation:
School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
Mei Lan Fang
Affiliation:
Science and Technology for Aging Research (STAR) Institute, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
Andrew Sixsmith
Affiliation:
Science and Technology for Aging Research (STAR) Institute, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
*
*Corresponding author. Email: mineko_wada@sfu.ca
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Abstract

Although moving from institutional to home-like long-term care (LTC) settings can promote and sustain the health and wellbeing of older adults, there has been little research examining how home is perceived by older adults when moving between care settings. A qualitative study was conducted over a two-year period during the relocation of residents and staff from an institutional LTC home to a purpose-built LTC home in Western Canada. The study explored perceptions of home amongst residents, family members and staff. Accordingly, 210 semi-structured interviews were conducted at five time-points with 35 residents, 23 family members and 81 staff. Thematic analyses generated four superordinate themes that are suggestive of how to create and enhance a sense of home in LTC settings: (a) physical environment features; (b) privacy and personalisation; (c) autonomy, choice and flexibility; and (d) connectedness and togetherness. The findings reveal that the physical environment features are foundational for the emergence of social and personal meanings associated with a sense of home, and highlight the impact of care practices on the sense of home when the workplace becomes a home. In addition, tension that arises between providing care and creating a home-like environment in LTC settings is discussed.

Keywords

meaning of homelong-term caresemi-structured interviewsthematic analysisinstitutional relocationcare practices
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 40 , Issue 6 , June 2020 , pp. 1267 - 1290
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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