Relocation Into Italian Residential Care Homes: A Qualitative Analysis of Decision and Choice: Psychological Implications and Consideration on Health

The current literature on the geriatric population highlights that relocation into a healthcare facility is a crucial event in the existence of many older people and their families. Guilt, difficulties, concern and restlessness may characterise this transition and even accelerate the ageing process in some. However, the manner in which the decision to relocate is made and communicated has not been well investigated. The following study aims to explore how older residents experience the transition into a care home as well as how they experience their relationship with it and its clinicians, and what processes may determine their own sense of autonomy. The researchers used a qualitative method and conducted semi-structured interviews. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) was chosen as the tool for data analysis. Results showed that relocation into care homes is described as a passive and influenced choice. Further, the facility is described as a place that provides essential services to older people but also as a place where it is possible to maintain personalised relationships. Finally, the study discusses the implications of older people’s mental representations not only on their lives but also on how their relatives, clinicians and society perceive them. This also extends to the implications on how services are organised and implemented.