CHICAGO: Contrary to conventional wisdom, assisted living residents might not place a high value on how “homelike” their surroundings are, suggest the findings of a college study.
Out of eight assisted living residents who participated, all “seemed pleased with their current living environment” and their scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale did not raise any red flags, few of them had personal items from their previous homes, and they expressed scant interest in creating a more homelike setting.
One participant said that the assisted living facility would never be similar to a private home and dismissed efforts to “sugarcoat” this fact. Others echoed this idea. Many of the participants explained that personal effects in their apartments had been brought there by family members.
Far more important to the residents’ sense of wellbeing was their feeling that the environment was safe and that staff members cared about them.
“The use of an individual’s first name by staff cannot be overstated, as it was reiterated by all eight of the respondents as being a prime example of genuine caring,” said the report…