How moving to a care home (rest home) can reinforce ageism.

Delia McKenna and Barbara Staniforth in their 2017 paper ‘Older people moving to residential care in Aotearoa New Zealand: Considerations for social work at practice and policy levels.’ give some insights into this time of transition. They show how this process and experience may be improved.  

“ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This exploratory study, undertaken in 2013, sought to examine how older people, living in Auckland New Zealand who did not have family living locally, experienced the move from living at home, through a hospital admission to living in residential care.

METHOD: Nine qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants while in hospital and following discharge to a residential care facility. Data were analysed thematically.

RESULTS: For most, this move was a major, traumatic event in their lives. Participants identified both hindering and supportive factors through this process.

CONCLUSIONS: The process of transition from hospital is helped by older people being involved in decision making, and having adequate time and prior information. An assisted living facility that enables autonomy, has flexibility, and services in place to meet on-going physical and psychosocial needs supports the settling-in process. Continuity of social work interventions, advocacy and reviews of policy may also be useful.

KEYWORDS: assisted living facilities, hospitalisation, social work, transitioning

They also suggest that current processes can reinforce ageism.

“ - - - lack of service provision for older people undertaking this move represents a political failure to show empathy for the suffering of older people. The lack of assistance for them in their efforts to overcome the trauma and to live meaningfully in the aftermath of their loss constitutes abuse of power and serious neglect (Attig, 2004); this may reflect prevalent ageist attitudes. The social construct of ageism also makes older people less likely to ask for services since they often hold the same ageist views as the rest of society and are limited by them (Attig, 2004, Currer, 2007). Certainly the participants in this study themselves reflected ageist beliefs with one participant referring to older people living in residential care as “zombies” and “the walking dead” and perhaps fearing that they may be perceived in the same light. These statements are examples of internalized oppression— the participant(s) having internalised the dominant discourse of ageism.”