Nursing home institutionalization: a source of eustress or distress for the elderly?

Abstract

The 68 original participants expressed feelings of loneliness and marginalization, but these experiences were not noted in their personal records. Most subjects presented psychiatric symptoms and cognitive decline. After 6 months, the clinical condition of the sample, particularly the females, had worsened, with a 33% mortality rate. This suggests that moving to a nursing home did not bring about improvement or stabilization; rather, psychiatric symptoms worsened and quality of life was perceived more poorly.

Urinary incontinence among institutionalized oldest old Chinese men in Taiwan

“…24 Thirdly, long-term LTCF placement has been shown to be a stressor for older people, which is related to poorer quality of life in terms of physical health compared to entry. 25 The majority (64.5%) of our study subjects had been institutionalized for more than 5 years and under such circumstances, the impact of any particular condition on quality of life may become less significant because the general health perception is low and those with the condition have learned to cope with it, minimizing its impact.…”

Functional Capacity of Oldest Old Living in a Long-stay Institution in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

“…One of the biggest reasons why families choose institutionalization is that they are concerned about their elderly relative living alone due to fears regarding social isolation and the difficulty of maintaining independence67 ) . It is believed that in a long stay institution, the elderly share fellowship with their peers, which helps reduce loneliness.…”

Impoverished environment, cognition, aging and dementia

“…When people move into a nursing home, they experience diffi culty maintaining their social relationships with friends (Barkay and Tabak , 2002 ;Drageset , 2004 ) and new friendships with other residents remain scarce and superfi cial (Buckley and McCarthy , 2009 ). More than half of the residents with or without dementia experience loneliness (Scocco et al , 2006 ;Drageset et al , 2010 ). High frequencies of social contact with family and friends from outside the institution is important to reduce residents feelings of loneliness (Drageset , 2004 ;Buckley and McCarthy , 2009 ).…”