Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T10:26:07.614Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Elderly Married Persons Living in Long Term Care Institutions: A Qualitative Analysis of Feelings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

James W. Gladstone
James W. Gladstone
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 4M4.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper focuses on the feelings that institutionalised and community-dwelling spouses have in regard to their own or their spouse's living in a long-term care facility. Qualitative data were gathered from 161 married respondents. Themes associated with positive feelings included: benefit to self, benefits to spouse, reappraisal of self as caregiver, and appraisal of institutionalisation. Themes associated with negative feelings included: concern about institutionalised partner's care, tension with staff, stress associated with visiting, loss of purpose, loneliness, privacy, and tissues related to the marital relationship. Data indicate that feelings about institutionalisation must be analysed in various contexts. Implications for service delivery are discussed.

Keywords

Elderly married coupleslong-term careinstitutional relocation.
Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , December 1995 , pp. 493 - 513
Copyright
Copyright Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beaulieu, E. and Karpinski, J. 1981. Group treatment of elderly with ill spouses. Social Casework, 62, 551–557.Google Scholar
Bengtson, V., Rosenthal, C.J. and Burton, L. 1990. Families and aging: Diversity and heterogeneity. In Binstock, R. and George, L. (eds) Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, 2nd Edition., Academic Press, San Diego, Calif.Google Scholar
Berg, B. L. 1989. Qualitative Research Methods For The Social Sciences. Allyn and Bacon, BostonGoogle Scholar
Borup, J. H. 1981. Relocation: Attitudes, information network and problems encountered. The Gerontologist, 21, 501–511.Google Scholar
Brubaker, T. H. 1985. Responsibility for household tasks: A look at golden anniversary couples aged 75 years and older. In Peterson, W. and Quadagno, J. (eds). Social Bonds in Later Life. Sage, Beverley Hills.Google Scholar
Coleman, P. 1990. Psychological aging. In Bond, J. and Coleman, P. (eds). Ageing in Society: An Introduction to Social Gerontology, Sage, London.Google Scholar
Davies, B. and Knapp, M. 1981. Old People's Homes and the Production of Welfare. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London.Google Scholar
Festinger, L. 1957. A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Row, Peterson, New York.Google Scholar
Forbes, W. F., Jackson, J. A. and Kraus, A. S. 1987. Institutionalization of the Elderly in Canada. Butterworth, Toronto.Google Scholar
Gladstone, J. G. 1992. Identifying the living arrangements of elderly married couples in long-term care institutions. Canadian Journal on Aging, 11, 184–196.Google Scholar
Glaser, B. G. and Strauss, A. L. 1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Aldine, New York.Google Scholar
Kelley, H. H. 1981. Marriage relationships and aging. In Fogel, R. W., Hatfield, E., Kiesler, S. and Shanas, E. (eds) Aging: Stability and Change in the Family. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Kirsh, E. and Geitzhals, F. 1983. Working with institutionalized elderly couples: Benefits and barriers in mutually supportive relationships. Paper presented at Canadian Association on Gerontology Scientific and Educational Meetings,Moncton, N.B.Google Scholar
Kosberg, J. I. 1988. Preventing elder abuse: Identification of high risk factors prior to placement decisions. The Gerontologist, 28, 43–50.Google Scholar
Kosberg, J. I., Cairl, R. E. and Keller, D. M. 1990. Components of burden: Interventive implications. The Gerontologist, 30, 236–242.Google Scholar
Pearlin, L. I. 1992. The Careers of caregivers. The Gerontologist, 32, 647.Google Scholar
Pollitt, P. A., Anderson, I. and O'Connor, D. W. 1991. For better or for worse: The experience of caring for an elderly dementing spouse. Ageing and Society, 11, 443–469.Google Scholar
Pratt, C. C., Schmall, V. L., Wright, S. and Cleland, M. 1985. Burden and coping strategies of caregivers to Alzheimer's patients. Family Relations, 34, 27–33.Google Scholar
Pruchno, R. A. and Resch, N. L. 1989. Husbands and wives as caregivers: Antecedents of depression and burden. The Gerontologist, 29, 159–165.Google Scholar
Rosenthal, C.J. and Dawson, P. 1991. Wives of institutionalized elderly men. The first step of the transition to quasi-widowhood. Journal of Aging and Health, 3, 315–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, M. G. 1987. The patient's partner: The spouse in residential care. Health and Social Work, 206–212.Google Scholar
Shapiro, E. and Tate, R. 1988. Who is really at risk of institutionalization? The Gerontologist, 28, 237–245.Google Scholar
Sixsmith, A. J. 1990. The meaning and experience of ‘home’ in later life. In Bytheway, B. and Johnson, J. (eds). Welfare and the Ageing Experience. Avebury, Aldershot.Google Scholar
Skaff, M. M. and Pearlin, L. I. 1992. Caregiving: Role engulfment and the loss of self. The Gerontologist, 32, 656–664.Google Scholar
Smith, K. F. and Bengtson, V. L. 1979. Positive consequences of institutionalization: Solidarity between elderly parents and their middle-aged children. The Gerontologist, 19, 438–447.Google Scholar
Solomon, R. 1982. Serving families of the institutionalized aged: The four crises. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 5, 83–96.Google Scholar
Stephens, M. A. P., Kinney, J. M. and Ogrocki, P. K. 1991. Stressors and well-being among caregivers to older adults with dementia: The in-home versus nursing home experience. The Gerontologist, 31, 217–223.Google Scholar
Tobin, S. S. and Lieberman, M. A. 1976. Last Home for the Aged. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.Google Scholar
Willcocks, D., Peace, S. and Kellaher, L. 1987. Private Lives in Public Places. Tavistock, London.Google Scholar
Zarit, S. H. and Whitlatch, C. J. 1992. Institutional placement: Phases of the transition. The Gerontologist, 33, 665–672.Google Scholar