"Quality of Life in Assisted Living Facilities: Viewpoints of Residents"

It is obvious that the meaning of “Home” in this day for the residents of nursing homes is very lacking. The majority of these elderly people do not consider these places a home, and how could they? In many cases it is much the opposite of home, although they tend to make the best of it, the sadness is very eminent. I think that the American Dream in connections with our homes pretty much dies when you enter a nursing home. It was very sad to me to hear that so many of these elderly people suffer from depression and anxiety, how terrible to live that last few years of your life this way, I think this is pretty much where the American Dream ends for most people. The loss of freedom, the ability to do all things for themselves, and just the sense of loneliness are just a few things that plague these elderly people. I did however find it interesting that the vast majority were all of Caucasian race, women and widowed. I have been told in the past that certain races refuse to put their loved ones in a nursing home. I wonder if culturally this is true. Having visited my grandmother in a nursing home last year I did notice the majority being woman, and white. I have a terrible vision of nursing homes because of those visits to my grandmother. After reading these evaluations, and the facts from the mouths of these elders it only confirms what I saw here in Sonoma County with my own eyes. I was however surprised to hear that when interviewed in the quality of life article 94% of residents were satisfied with the quality of care. However 54% suffered from depression, and in another question 44% were lonely. I think these statistics alone speak very loudly, if 94% of the residents are happy with the care they get but such high numbers still exist about being unhappy it is obvious this lifestyle and surroundings are the cause. Most of the people interviewed expressed happiness that they had private rooms. But again another problem expressed by residents was boredom. I think it would be very difficult as an elderly person to be uprooted, moved, and have your independence taken from you. I would think it would be impossible to call this life home. Although I think most of these people make the best of the situation, they still suffer, and in most cases it accelerates their time left alive. This was a very interesting read for me, I like that the author gave the residents a voice of how they feel about their living conditions. I find it a very sad subject when it comes to having to make the painful choice to put a loved one in a facility like these. I think that elderly people make the best of it by no means it is a place to truly call home, and it is a far cry for the “American Dream” of a white picket fence.