Long-term care as contested acoustical space: Exploring resident relationships and identitiesinsound

Abstract

As the global population ages, residential care facilities are challenged to create positive living environments for people in later life. Health care acoustics are increasingly recognized as a key design factor in the experience of well-being for long-term care residents; however, acoustics are being conceptualized predominantly within the medical model. Just as the modern hospital battles disease with technology, sterility and efficiency, health care acoustics are receiving similar treatment. Materialist efforts towards acoustical separation evoke images of containment, quarantine and control, as if sound was something to be isolated. Sound becomes part of the contested space of long-term care that exists in tension between hospital and home. The move towards acoustical separation denies the social significance of sound in residents’ lives. Sound does not displace care; it emplaces care and the social relationships therein. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork in a Canadian long-term care facility, this article will use a phenomenological lens to explore how relationships are shaped in sound among residents living in long-term care. Ethnographic vignettes illustrate how the free flow of music through the care unit incited collective engagement among residents, reduced barriers to sharing social space and constructed new social identity. The article concludes that residents’ relationships are shaped within the acoustical milieu of the care unit and that to impose acoustical separation between residents’ living spaces may further isolate residents who are already at risk of loneliness.

Acoustic characteristics of bedrooms in two types of long-term care facilities in China

“…As shown in Fig. 9 , according to Spearman's correlation analysis, the preferences for television ( p < 0.01), radio ( p < 0.01), streams ( p < 0.01) and birds ( p < 0.01) were positively correlated with age in both the resident and staff groups; these results were comparable with those of another study [ 21 , 37 ]. Notably, preferences for footsteps ( p < 0.05), traffic ( p < 0.01), construction ( p < 0.01), music ( p < 0.01) and radio ( p < 0.01) were negatively correlated with education.…”

The Perspectives of Professional Caregivers on Implementing Audio-Based Technology in Residential Dementia Care

“…Therefore, the significance of sound in shaping social relationships among residents and between residents and professional caregivers should be recognized. This builds further on research that demonstrates how professional caregivers can establish an equal form of communication during moments of care by listening to or by playing sounds together with residents [ 9 , 22 ], as sound allows people to connect as it propagates through the care space [ 23 ].…”

“…Building on this extensive body of work on music in dementia [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ], researchers have begun exploring the potential benefits of everyday sounds or nonmusical sounds perceived in everyday life for people with dementia [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Like music, everyday sounds that are perceived as pleasant can evoke positive emotions [ 24 , 26 ].…”

“…Reexperiencing sounds from everyday life can provide feelings of comfort or safety [ 27 ], can prompt memories of life events and loved ones [ 20 ], and can support storytelling by people with dementia to relive meaningful past experiences in the present [ 18 , 19 ]. These responses to sound provide opportunities for social connection and interaction [ 21 , 22 ] and for improvement in the living environment of care facilities, where sounds can be perceived and enjoyed by residents regardless of their limitations or illness [ 23 ].…”

Ambient Sound in Healthcare Settings and Its Effects on Patients and Staff: A Systematic Review

“…The current literature review focuses on reviews of noise issues in hospital settings (Brown, Rutherford, & Crawford, 2014;de Lima Andrade et al, 2021;Iyendo, 2017;Konkani & Oakley, 2012). Reviews have been undertaken on the sound environment in longterm care facilities and nursing homes (Graham, 2020;Janus et al, 2021). The above studies address the acoustic environment in a particular type of healthcare facility and its impact on patient health.…”