THE AGING PROBLEM: ELDERLY ADJUSTMENT TO ASSISTED LIVING

Abstract

Often positioned as alternatives to nursing homes, assisted living facilities are proposed to be better for those elderly persons who do not yet need the specialized care of nursing homes, but still cannot care for themselves. Besides the level of care, both facilities differ in their missions, as assisted living facilities propose to be more autonomy focused. However, this mission may not always be felt by the residents who live at these facilities. This thesis attempts to critically look at assisted living facilities and how elderly people adjust to them by assessing the ways different parts of the elders’ institutional life affect the continuity of their life course as well as their ability to autonomously make and carry out decisions that could support this continuity. After interviewing residents, family members, and staff of an assisted living facility in New Jersey, I conclude that the decision making process seems to be the point that can make or break adjustment to a facility. If elders are unable to make the decision as autonomously as possible or find their life course continuity ruptured beyond immediate repair, they will have a harder time adjusting to the facility. While family involvement is an important determinant for adjustment, an involved family seemed to mean more for overall life satisfaction than it did for facility adjustment. Assisted living facilities can remedy some of the damage done before residents arrive by supporting them through social programming.