Cultural and Social Interpretations of “Dying” and “Death” in a Residential Home for Elderly People in the North East of England

Social Death in Britain

“…In situations of this kind, the more active residents strive to reestablish the meaning of their own existence by separating themselves physically and symbolically from other residents. This is well documented in Hockey's (1985) study of a residential home in North Eastern England.…”

“…When elderly people enter a residential or nursing home, all those involved are aware that the entrants are most unlikely to come out alive (Hockey, 1985). For those left behind, the symbolic significance of this transition is so evident that in many cases they engage in what Fulton and Fulton (1971) call 'anticipatory grief.…”

“…'As a result, the final transition of a "frail" resident to sick bay and to the mortuary often goes by unremarked. A much earlier separation ensures that their name and identity is unknown and of little significance' (Hockey, 1985:42; see also Hockey, 1990).…”

The Changing Profile of Social Death

“…In situations of this kind, the more active residents strive to re-establish the meaning of their own existence by separating themselves physically and symbolically from other residents. This is well documented in Hockey's (1985) study of a residential home in North Eastern England.…”

“…When elderly people enter a residential or nursing home, all those involved are aware that the entrants are most unlikely to come out alive (Hockey 1985). As Glaser and Strauss report, when geriatric patients are sent to an age-segregated institution, they know that 'it is all over but the dying' (1968,52).…”