‘Home’ in the aged care institution: authentic or ersatz

Qualities of the environment that support a sense of home and belonging in nursing homes for older people

“…There is no clear definition of what constitutes homelikeness (Marquardt et al , 2014), but smaller unit size and domesticity are generally recommended as manifestations of homelikeness (Calkins, 2018; Chaudhury et al , 2018). However, homelikeness in relation to nursing homes has been discussed and questioned by several scholars (Fay and Owen, 2012; Falk et al , 2013; Nakrem et al , 2013), who emphasise that the idea of homelikeness tends to be based on stereotyped cultural values about what constitute a home, rather than on what is important for nursing home residents to feel comfortable and to live an enjoyable life. Additionally, this understanding of home tends to be based on romantic perspectives on the home as a place for safety, comfort and positive relationships, overlooking how the home can be an arena for conflict, discomfort and unsafety (Penney, 2013, Hillcoat-Nallétamby and Ogg, 2014).…”

Older peoples’ experiences of living in a residential aged care facility in Australia

“…While a major goal of government policy is to allow older people to remain in their homes for as long as possible, with community support, physiological decline renders some older people in the position of needing residential care. RACFs are viewed as promoting a personalised experience of being at ‘home’; however, the reality is that older people often experience a loss of autonomy and connectedness, and an increase in dependence . Challenges for older people include maintaining a sense of well‐being and identity; having an acceptable quality of life (QoL); preserving autonomy, dignity and self‐esteem; and retaining meaningful relationships, all of which are more difficult given the constraints of living in an institutional environment governed by policy and regulations .…”

Deprivation of Liberty in the Shadows of the Institution

“…Commercial social care has a readily recognizable aesthetic: larger (often pale brick) buildings with wings and gables (or modern looking blocks of 'living units' for supported living or new retirement villages), external signage displaying the provider's name, bulk bought furniture of a kind rarely seen in domestic homes (often in beige or dirty pastel shades), magnolia walls, laminated signs and notices, uniformed staff, fire doors, and so on. Mitigating these institutional features, 'homeyness' and 'homelike' aesthetics are pursued in the design of residential aged care facilities (Fay and Owen, 2012;Vihma, 2013;Bitner, 2019). Commercial studies explore which architectural features older people and their familiesas potential consumers -consider 'homelike', 'homey' or 'institutional' (for example, Marsden, 1999).…”