Vital Service Captivity: Coping Strategies and Identity Negotiation

Abstract

Nursing homes are the quintessential example of vital service captivity. Consumers need vital services when they can no longer fulfil their basic needs on their own and their only choice is to delegate them to the market (e.g. care services for long-term and chronic illnesses, eating assistance at mealtimes). The service is referred to as ‘captive’ because older people are generally unwilling to use it, and when they have to, their options are limited. For elderly consumers, there is ‘no exit possible’, and as such they must integrate the service into their sense of self. The paper aims to (1) identify strategies for coping with vital service captivity and (2) present the identity negotiation mechanisms that lead people to choose one strategy over another. The study was conducted over a 6-month period in three nursing homes. Data collection includes semi-structured interviews, focus groups, participant observations, and micro-interviews with consumers – elderly residents and their families – and nursing home staff. Its main contribution is to highlight that coping with vital service captivity is a differential process. Consumers implement multiple coping strategies simultaneously, and these strategies are linked to three areas: routinization, socialization, and assimilation of a new social status. Moreover, implementing coping strategies means striking a balance between ‘disengagement’ and ‘engagement’ that not only takes into account former life trajectory, future prospects, and social comparisons, but also any changes in physical or cognitive skills and family support. Understanding these coping strategies and identity negotiation mechanisms highlights some unintended consequences on residents’ well-being, such as the importance of standardizing how the service is organized because it provides a stable framework, or the importance given to the well-being of all stakeholders (other consumers, staff) as a result of the community living situation.

Fostering healthy ageing through understanding food coping strategies

“…In contrast to the first implication, the second implication is that we should not forget that by targeting certain food practices, we can affect the balance of individuals, whose social role or psycho-emotional balance depends on certain symbolic routines. This can be explained in particular when certain food practices echo past identities or meanings (Guillemot et al , 2022). The results of this study highlight the fact that some food practices, which could be perceived as harmful for health, can be experienced as a relief by the individuals in question.…”

“…Understanding the mechanisms by which individuals select, optimise or compensate for lost resources in their human capital and/or social role models, and especially the goals they seek to achieve, can throw light on their actions and mindset. This approach provides insights into why older people value routine in their eating habits, since it allows them to maintain continuity in their lives in a context of loss of other reference points (Plastow et al , 2015; Guillemot et al , 2022). It also explains why respect for traditions, customs and habits is especially important for older adults (Doets and Kremer, 2016; Thomas and Emond, 2017; Van Den Heuvel et al , 2019).…”

Older People’s Knowledge Creation Motivations for Sustainable Communities

“…Increasing the sustainability of local communities through community activities improves the well-being of community-dwelling older people. Older people living in feeble communities in an aging society have limited access to essential services, which lowers their well-being [57,58]. As vulnerable consumers, even older people who do not have access to essential services can gain transformative value for enhancing well-being by participating in community activities [14,59].…”

Social Change-based Identity Negotiation: Case of “Cina Benteng” and Indigenous Community in Kalipasir Tangerang, Banten

“…Banerjee, Shukla, and Ashill (2022) in a series of studies from a marketing perspective show that ethnic consumers deploy "indifference" as an identity negotiation mechanism when faced with different types of host society proportions in a population. Guillemot, Dyen, and Tamaro (2022) identify three identity negotiation mechanisms underlying 14 coping strategies performed by elderly consumers when consuming vital services that they are unwilling to but have to use it. Khan (2020) studied foreign students that learning in the US but were labeled as ESL (English as Second Language).…”