Improving Quality of Life for Older People in Long-Stay Care ...

Table 9.1: Identity and personalised environmentCapacity to personalisetheir environmentI am very happy, like at home.That is my room, and this is myown furniture, and this all, yes, thiswas from my home when I sold,and this table is my one, small one.(LC1 Resident 12, Private)Int: And this is your own … duvet?Ah yes, my friend gave it to me,she moved house and she gave methat, and I love, I love my room andshe gave me pictures. … That oneup there, I think that’s the best.Int: You’ve managed to makeit homely in here.Oh I do yes, I do yes, yes.(PK3 Resident 02, Public)Limited capacity to personalisetheir environmentAlthough I have a computer of my own,I haven’t got it here because I can’t youknow. That is the difficulty with me here.(GN1 Resident 04 Public)Sister said I will have to put them (books)down in the day room. … Well, she said wewill have to get rid of them. So I am slipping(them) out to me son every week … becausesome of them came from my own home.Int: But … you would like them to stay here?Yeah, yeah. (GN1 Resident 06 Public)I have my Sacred Heart picture up there, andI have a, em, perpetual lamp since back in thesixties, but of course, I couldn’t have it whenI came. (PK3 Resident 10, Public) (Referringto having only one electric socket in her room)Longing for homeInt: Did you want to bring in any of yourbelongings with you? I see you’ve your ownrug and things like that.No, my own clothes of course. I hope to gohome actually. My daughter is coming … andI’m going to go home for a couple of weeks,like to the house and I’ll take back (somethings). … I’ve never been home since I left.Int: So you still have your house?Oh yeah. … I wish there wasn’t sometimesyou know.Int: Why is that?(Pause) … Because it makes me remembertoo much having this and I feel that I couldgo home. (YW5 Resident 01, Private)Moving onThere’s very little I brought infrom home. What would youwant anything in here, I meanwhat would you want anything?… I gave all them things, I didn’thave anything really, because Igave them all to the grandchildren,my own grandchildren at home,you know. (PK1 Resident 02, Public)Int: You didn’t bother bringingin stuff with you?I didn’t bother, no. My son saidto bring in stuff. but what wouldyou be bringing in? Haven’t youenough here. (YW3 Resident 09,Private)169Other resident respondents brought very little with them. They saw little need as‘everything you’d need is here’. Their rooms were less personal and more functional.Some of these respondents frequently spoke about ‘going home’, may have seentheir stay as short-term and so felt it was not worthwhile to personalise their room.In contrast to resident respondents who organised their space, these respondentshad not fully settled. Their ‘home’ remained their old home.