title: Relocation decisions and constructing the meaning of home: a phenomenological study of the transition into a nursing home.
abstract: The transition from community dwelling to a nursing home is a common, though idiosyncratic, experience in the United States. This study employed an interpretive phenomenological approach to uncover how eight older adults in nursing homes in the Midwestern U.S. constructed the meaning of home shortly following the relocation and again approximately two months later. The degree to which the individual had been involved in the decision making process was also explored as it related to the meaning of home within the nursing home setting. The majority of individuals did not consider the facility to be "home," but actively changed their attitudes toward the facility and themselves to better adjust to the setting. The findings demonstrate the importance of autonomy in older adults' definitions of home.
authors.affiliation: Millsap Professor of Gerontological Nursing and Public Policy, Sinclair School of Nursing, S413 Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States.
authors.forename: Rebecca A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Missouri, 314 Gentry Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, United States. Electronic address: jlbnq7@mail.missouri.edu.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bibbo
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D009735:Nursing Homes; D026684:Personal Autonomy
keywords: Aging; Decision making; Home; Meaning; Nursing home; Nursing home placement