Older Persons’ and Family Members’ Perceptions of Homeyness in Assisted Living

Abstract

Assisted living has been promoted as a noninstitutional relocation choice offering personal care services for older persons in a residential or homelike context. Yet, it is unknown whether assisted living is actually perceived as homelike. A study was conducted to examine whether one aspect of assisted living—the exterior appearance—is perceived as homelike by older persons and family members. The study used color photographs of existing assisted living buildings, and participants were asked to evaluate the scenes in terms of homeyness. Findings indicate that three characteristics of the scenes were particularly salient in the evaluations: entries, building height, and sense of “institutional” or “homelike.” Older persons and family members showed strong agreement with respect to certain entries and features that reflected homelike character. Dissimilarities, however, also existed. In particular, older persons tended to favor sheltered entries on a small scale and newer buildings, whereas family members placed less emphasis on a one-story building height.

Comparison of Elderly People’s Perception of Homely Feeling towards Room Environment in Their Own Home and in Two Nursing Homes in Thailand

“…Apart from the aforementioned dimensions, research on the perception of elderly on the meaning of home in elderly nursing homes. [8] (Marsden, 1999) had given importance to the aforementioned perception on the ability to control privacy and having a boundary under their control. Furthermore, the present research was focused on familiarity to new residences in comparison to original homes.…”

California’s Newly Reformed Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly

“…Assisted living is a relatively new concept that first took form in the early 1980s and has subsequently gained wide acceptance (Wilson 2007). AL/RC settings are fully accessible to meet the needs of elders who can live independently with adaptive environmental supports such as wide doorways and showers that accommodate wheelchair access, lowered kitchen counters and cabinets, and raised toilets, (Marsden 1999;Wilson 2007).…”

“…Additional services might be prepared meals, social activities, transportation, and some degree of 24-hour protective oversight and assistance with ADLs and IADLs (Marsden 1999;Robnett and Chop 2014;Zimmerman and Sloane 2007).…”

Dementia and Assisted Living

“…Marsden (1999) believed that, among persons in the general population, the perceived homelike environment of assisted living may encourage the involvement and support of family members and friends. This was supported by Singer and Luxenberg's (2003) finding that families and lay caregivers are increasingly choosing the more homelike environments of dementia-specialized assisted living residences rather than SCUs in nursing homes.…”