title: Mental Illness in Assisted Living: Challenges for Quality of Life and Care.
abstract: An unknown number of mentally ill elders in the U.S. receive care in assisted living [AL], along with persons facing physical or cognitive challenges. While dementia is familiar in AL, our data indicate that neither staff nor residents are prepared to work or live with the mentally ill. Challenges are created for professionals, since these residents bring diverse needs. Daily inter-resident interactions are also disrupted or stressful. Qualitative data describe the impacts on quality of resident life as well as care and management dilemmas identified within five assisted living settings having varying presence of mental illness among residents.
authors.affiliation: Center for Aging Studies & Department of Sociology & Anthropology UMBC.
authors.forename: Leslie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.affiliation: Center for Aging Studies & Department of Sociology & Anthropology UMBC.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: Center for Aging Studies & Department of Sociology & Anthropology UMBC.
authors.forename: Ann Christine
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Frankowski
authors.affiliation: Center for Aging Studies & Department of Sociology & Anthropology UMBC.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nemec
authors.affiliation: Center for Aging Studies & Department of Sociology & Anthropology UMBC.
authors.forename: Colleen R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bennett
keywords: Mental illness; assisted living; ethnography; health care; quality of life