The family metaphor applied to nursing home life

The family metaphor was applied to data from participant observations of 18 lucid nursing home patients in order to highlight how nursing home life influenced their experience of health. The instrumental activities in the nursing home were more routinised and specialised than in a family, but usually care was observed to be tender, loving and diligent. Further analysis revealed many factors, which may combine to disturb self-esteem and prevent efforts towards further maturation: loss of continuity to earlier self, collectivisation of activities, extreme dependence, embarrassing situations, child role, and constantly mild behaviour from staff.