The role of place in assisted living

The qualitative inquiry explored what physical attributes and tangible items that assisted living residents at one facility determined to be personally meaningful and emblematic of their concept of 'home.' Using grounded theory methods, in-depth interviews and participant-captured photographs were employed to investigate the research questions. Through the coding and analysis process, interview transcripts and photographic data indicated two major themes of value. The first, facility characteristics, highlighted factors associated with the assisted living environment, including the general culture and level of social engagement with members of the community, group activities coordinated by the facility itself, and the resident's personal one or two bedroom apartment. The other, individual characteristics, focused on aspects that the resident introduced into the environment, such as personal values and priorities, memories, and hobbies. The data suggests that all six of the characteristics contributed meaning to a resident's experience in assisted living and shaped their perceptions of 'home,' although the individual's unique character may determine which attributes are the most influential to him or her.