Assisted living facilities as sites of encounter: implications for older adults’ experiences of inclusion and exclusion

Most of the existing literature on inclusion and exclusion among older adults focuses on community-dwelling individuals. In this article, we draw on the results of a comparative case study to explore how older adults in two assisted living settings experience inclusion and exclusion. One site was a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ageing and society 2020-07, Vol.40 (7), p.1577-1593
Main Authors: Herron, Rachel V., Funk, L. M., Spencer, D., Wrathall, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Age discrimination
Aging
Assisted living facilities
Bullying
Clinical decision making
Comparative analysis
Decision making
Discourse
Discourses
Long term health care
Low income groups
Medical research
Nursing homes
Older people
Participation
Social exclusion
Social integration
Tenants
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Summary:Most of the existing literature on inclusion and exclusion among older adults focuses on community-dwelling individuals. In this article, we draw on the results of a comparative case study to explore how older adults in two assisted living settings experience inclusion and exclusion. One site was a low-income facility and the other a higher-end facility in a mid-sized Canadian city. Bridging together geographies of encounter and gerontological approaches on social inclusion, we analyse interviews with tenants and key informants to explore when, where and in what ways these groups experience inclusion and exclusion in these particular settings. Tenants’ narratives reveal how their encounters, and in turn their experiences of exclusion and inclusion are shaped by experiences throughout their lifecourse, the organisation of assisted living spaces, communities beyond the facility, and pervasive discourses of ageism and ‘dementiaism’. We argue that addressing experiences of exclusion for older adults within these settings involves making more time and space for positive encounters and addressing pervasive discourses around ageism and ‘dementiaism’ among tenants and staff.
ISSN:0144-686X
1469-1779
DOI:10.1017/S0144686X19000187