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Spatial control and care in Finnish nursing homes
Author(s) -
Repo Virve
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
area
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1475-4762
pISSN - 0004-0894
DOI - 10.1111/area.12443
Subject(s) - feeling , nursing , control (management) , merge (version control) , unintended consequences , limiting , nursing homes , affect (linguistics) , everyday life , psychology , medicine , social psychology , political science , mechanical engineering , management , computer science , law , economics , information retrieval , engineering , communication
This paper presents an analysis of the relationship between spatial control and care in nursing homes governed by Finnish municipalities. Although the attitude towards elderly care is gradually changing, most nursing homes governed by Finnish municipalities are still traditional, large institutions. In the study, I examine how care and control emerge spatially in nursing homes and how living in a limited environment shapes the everyday life of the residents. I argue that spatial practices affect the well‐being of the residents, since a great deal of the control in Finnish nursing homes is spatiotemporal. The institutions use multiple methods to control residents, such as limiting mobility and daily routines, which can also result in unintended mistreatment. As the analysis demonstrates, staff and their attitudes have a significant effect on the residents’ well‐being. It also underlines how feelings of self‐determination or “imagined” liberty can relieve anxiety and feelings of being confined. Control may be needed to keep residents safe; however, there is a risk that control can merge into care which affects staff culture and the well‐being of residents. This paper responds to the call for greater diversity within carceral geography, and conceptualises the nursing home as a complex (quasi‐)carceral environment that sits uneasily on the continuum between care and control.