The Culture of Long Term Care: Nursing Home Ethnography

(Hardback)

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This is the only collection of its kind to offer an inside view of life and work in contemporary nursing homes with the purpose of developing a theory of the culture of long term care. The anthropological research in nursing homes presented here produces a seldom seen native view of patients, staff, and the day-to-day workings of American nursing homes. The use of ethnographic methods penetrates the reality barriers found in industry descriptions, muck-raking discourse, and general societal aversion toward nursing homes. The tensions found between and within staff culture and patient culture are explored in terms of adaptations to institutional life in the context of current policy and the larger American ageist culture.

Reviews

The monograph does capture the complexities, strains and contradictions involved in the daily life in nursing homes. ...they complied a fine book of readings that can meet the needs of a wide audience. Iwould recommend the book for any academic library with a health or gerontolgy curriculum. ... The book provides excellent insight into the conflict between scholars who are involved in the qualitative/ quantitative debate.-Stephen M. Marson, Ph.D.
This book offers many insights into the inner workings of a nursing home, the care of the aging in general, and the effect of providing that care on the community. It is a rich resource for social workers, offering innovative ways to frame and explore different aspects of caretaking. The ethnographic lens provides a unque framework to study the lives of the people in the community who are affected by the institutional provision of care to the elderly. This collection provides a full and engaging study of the topic.-Social Work in Health Care
This book presents a fascinating perspective on the culture of nursing homes by those who live and work in them. A rich description of staff and resident life is reported through use of various qualitative methods. This series of ethnographic studies allows readers to see nursing homes through the eyes of residents, caregivers, and families. (Recommended for) all levels.-Choice
"The monograph does capture the complexities, strains and contradictions involved in the daily life in nursing homes. ...they complied a fine book of readings that can meet the needs of a wide audience. Iwould recommend the book for any academic library with a health or gerontolgy curriculum. ... The book provides excellent insight into the conflict between scholars who are involved in the qualitative/ quantitative debate."-Stephen M. Marson, Ph.D.
"This book presents a fascinating perspective on the culture of nursing homes by those who live and work in them. A rich description of staff and resident life is reported through use of various qualitative methods. This series of ethnographic studies allows readers to see nursing homes through the eyes of residents, caregivers, and families. (Recommended for) all levels."-Choice
"This book offers many insights into the inner workings of a nursing home, the care of the aging in general, and the effect of providing that care on the community. It is a rich resource for social workers, offering innovative ways to frame and explore different aspects of caretaking. The ethnographic lens provides a unque framework to study the lives of the people in the community who are affected by the institutional provision of care to the elderly. This collection provides a full and engaging study of the topic."-Social Work in Health Care

Author Bio

J. NEIL HENDERSON, a medical anthropologist and noted authority on Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, is Associate Professor in Psychiatry and faculty in the Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, and at the Suncoast Gerontology Center, College of Medicine, University of South Florida. He has authored numerous articles on the cultural context of dementing disease and is the editor of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology. MARIA D. VESPERI, a cultural anthropologist, is Associate Professor of Anthropology at New College of the University of South Florida in Sarasota. She is a former member of the St. Petersburg Times editorial board and author of City of Green Benches: Growing Old In a New Downtown (1985).