DETROIT: In senior housing facilities where residents are required to relocate as heath issues worsen, seniors tend to isolate themselves and may hide health conditions out of fear of relocation, according to a new study.
Transitioning from independent living to assisted living to skilled nursing home in one place can be disruptive and stressful, as researchers have known for 30 years.
Stigma is common in these settings.
In every facility, the unit with the highest level of care was stigmatized, with residents referring to it with names like “The Twilight Zone,” “The Dark Side,” “Death Valley,” “Sleepy Hollow,” or “God’s waiting room.”
One administrator noted that few residents in lower levels of care like independent or assisted living seem comfortable going to the higher level units to visit friends. Many interviewees commented that residents didn’t like to mingle with others in different levels of care.
In one case, residents refused to ride on a bus marked to indicate that the people inside might be memory impaired.