Philip Y. Kao PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

attorney, and wills/trusts), and caregiver retreats. Fieldwork also took me to hospitals,
local hospices, memorial services, churches, caregiving training sessions, and funeral
homes. I also conducted interviews with local general practitioners (GP) (geriatricians,
and internal medicine doctors), elder law attorneys, and funeral directors.
My initial research design loosely followed Keith's three-phase approach to participant
observation in ageing communities (Keith 1986), but rather than adhere to Keith’s
particular sequencing, I was simultaneously collecting data across a range of contexts. I
mapped the social space of residents and staff throughout the entire CCRC, and
ascertained where people lived and how they related to one another. I had access to
resident-to-resident, resident-to-staff, and resident-to-family member interactions as
they appeared and played out before me in the social life of the CCRC. Identifying who
had moved from independent to more dependent living apartment units at Tacoma
Pastures became something I had to take note of as well. Additionally, I familiarised
myself with many of the residents through personal visits, and consultations with the
staff regarding resident care plans. Attending various resident committee and staff
member meetings gave me another set of data to contextualise and analyse. While all of
this was happening, I was seeking out conversations with various members of staff
including those working in the kitchen, recreation, and laundry departments.
Even before I set foot in Tacoma Pastures, I wrote a letter requesting permission to
conduct fieldwork. I introduced myself as a doctoral student of social anthropology, and
I informed the Director of Tacoma Pastures that I wanted to research ageing and longterm
care issues at Tacoma Pastures. My letter was met with surprising enthusiasm.
The Director of Tacoma Pastures suggested I meet with the Risk Manager, and we
discussed what and how I was going to go about my research. Since Tacoma Pastures
was situated on the edge of a fairly large university campus, they were accustomed to
hosting various research projects. Nurses, occupational therapists, medical students and
geneticists frequently conducted research with and on Tacoma Pastures residents.
Given that the Risk Manager did not deem my research ‘medical’, I did not have to sign
any waiver forms. It was only when I was hired as a part-time caregiver that I had to
sign some official forms pledging my adherence to the governing rules of Tacoma
Pastures and various state laws. I had to promise to uphold the confidentiality of my
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