Back to the old house? 'Sick role' and biographical narratives of the housing needs of short-stay hospital patients.
This paper examines how decisions are made about the housing needs of short-stay hospital patients. Two narrative types of patients' housing needs are identified. The 'sick role' narrative emphasised patients' ongoing medical needs and tended to prescribe 'sick role' placements in residential care or nursing homes instead of a return home. Conversely, the biographical narrative emphasised the importance of home as an integral element of 'elective biography' (Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, in: Heelas, Lash and Morris (Eds.), Detraditionalization, Blackwell, Oxford, 1996) and thus a highly emotional 'psychic warehouse' (Gurney, Ph.D. Thesis, Bristol, 1996) that was integral to post-discharge recovery and well being.
Allen
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Housing and Urban Studies Unit, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Allerton Building, Frederick Road, Salford M6 6PU, UK. c.allen@salford.ac.uk
D000359:Aftercare / Q000523:psychology*; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D003153:Community Health Services; D003657:Decision Making; D004644:Emotions; D006302:Health Services Research; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology*; D012803:Sick Role; D013222:State Medicine; D006113:United Kingdom