Professionals' views of the sense of home in nursing homes: Findings from LEGO SERIOUS PLAY workshops.

Introduction Moving to a nursing home is a significant life event that requires a large set of adaptation skills from older people. Apart from providing care, nursing homes should be a place where residents feel at home. This sense of home is a complex phenomenon comprising aspects of security and a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Gerontechnology Vol. 16; no. 4; pp. 218 - 224
Main Authors: Wouters, Eveline J. M., van Hoof, Joost
Format: pictorial research Journal Article
Published: International Society for Gerontechnology 2017
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:Introduction Moving to a nursing home is a significant life event that requires a large set of adaptation skills from older people. Apart from providing care, nursing homes should be a place where residents feel at home. This sense of home is a complex phenomenon comprising aspects of security and autonomy. Purpose This study aims at mapping the experience of the professional stakeholders working in nursing homes of the sense of home. Method A qualitative methodology, LEGO SERIOUS PLAY, was used to represent the sense of home by 70 professionals working in the context of nursing homes, and subsequently, to describe these feelings. Results The themes that were identified are privacy, perspective, freedom (including mobility), relationships, being acknowledged as a person, and nature. Discussion and conclusion These results from professional stakeholders confirm findings from previous studies conducted among residents themselves, and may help improve the sense of home in the nursing home environment.