As people age, they experience privacy loss due to health care needs. This is particularly true for those in nursing homes. Consequently, balancing care giving of elders with respect for privacy boundaries represents a challenge to health care providers. This study investigates privacy concerns for elderly in Scottish nursing homes from the care-giver's perspective. Scotland was the target country because the British in general, and Scottish in particular, have higher privacy needs than many other countries, especially the United States. Focusing on a country with high privacy expectations amplifies the privacy issues to better assess ways to address these concerns. From a thematic analysis of in-depth interviews using the Communication Management of Privacy theory, this research identifies the way the care-givers and elderly negotiate a relational privacy boundary when managing possessions and territory. As the care-givers and elders grow interdependent, they coordinate the way the elders' privacy is controlled and regulated for the privacy resources of possessions and territory. Based on this research, suggestions are made for long-term elder care.

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the roommate relationship for the institutionalized elderly adult. More specifically, two research questions were examined: Does roommate rapport predict life-satisfaction for elderly nursing home residents? What variables contribute to roommate rapport for the elderly nursing home resident? For this study, 50 elderly persons from six different long-term care facilities were interviewed. The nursing home residents ranged in age from 58 to 98 years, with 43 persons 75 years of age or older. The participants completed the Life Satisfaction Index A, the Short Form of the Roommate Rapport Scale and the Adult Communication Questionnaire through personal interviews. The results of this study indicated that roommate rapport predicted life satisfaction only for those who talked to their roommates. Perceived talk, engaging in activities with one's roommate and talking about the topic of family predicted roommate rapport for the elderly. Nearly half of the elderly residents never talked to their roommates. Most of the reasons for this centered around physical barriers to communication such as hearing problems and speech impediments.