Elderly community residents' reactions to the nursing home: an analysis of nursing home-related beliefs.
Among older adults, the nursing home is widely accepted as an essentially unavoidable specter facing those in their later years. Survey responses from 250 older community dwellers indicated that beliefs regarding care-related issues were more important determinants of their reactions to nursing homes than were the risks their own situation entailed. As predicted, fears about one day entering a nursing home and the perceived likelihood of so doing are best understood as responses to beliefs regarding the quality of residents' care, residents' quality of life, the costs of care, and family's role in providing care. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Biedenharn
P J
PJ
University of Notre Dame.
Normoyle
J B
JB
D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D001290:Attitude; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D007196:Indiana; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000592:standards