Understanding Sexual Freedom and Autonomy in Assisted Living: Discourse of Residents' Rights Among Staff and Administrators

In contrast to nursing homes, assisted living (AL) facilities emphasize independence and autonomy as part of their mission. However, we do not know to what extent this extends to sexual freedom and autonomy. Using grounded theory methodology and symbolic interactionism, we examine how staff and admi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Vol. 72; no. 3; p. 457
Main Authors Barmon, Christina, Burgess, Elisabeth O, Bender, Alexis A, Moorhead, Jr, James R
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.05.2017
Subjects
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - psychology
Assisted Living Facilities - standards
Attitude of Health Personnel
Homes for the Aged - standards
Humans
Middle Aged
Personal Autonomy
Sexual Behavior - psychology
Assisted living
Autonomy
Residents rights
Long-term care
Sexuality
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Summary:In contrast to nursing homes, assisted living (AL) facilities emphasize independence and autonomy as part of their mission. However, we do not know to what extent this extends to sexual freedom and autonomy. Using grounded theory methodology and symbolic interactionism, we examine how staff and administrators in AL facilities discuss residents' rights to sexual freedom and how this influences the environment of AL. Staff and administrators engage in a contradictory discourse of residents' rights that simultaneously affirms the philosophy of AL while behaving in ways that create an environment of surveillance and undermine those rights. A discourse of residents' rights masks a significant conflict between autonomy and protection in regards to sexual freedom in AL.
ISSN:1758-5368
DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbw068