Rotmeier-Keuper and Wunde studied the transitions of older individuals into communal care settings (which the researchers call “elderscapes”). They learned via interviews with elderly care consumers, and family and professional caregivers that “The transition to the elderscape often compels elderly consumers to strive to preserve their identities. . . . interviews uncovered a strong need among some participants not only to decorate but also to actively design and shape their living environments, mirroring aspects of their previous lives, such as home ownership. . . . This desire to reclaim space often leads elderly care consumers to attempt to modify their living areas, be that painting the walls or moving furniture. However, our interviews revealed that such alterations, particularly those affecting the physical infrastructure, encounter opposition from care home management. . . . the shared rooms and outdoor spaces of the care home are mostly designed according to market and professional care logic: they are efficient to maintain and designated to fulfill functional caregiving requirements.” Elders can also attempt to personalize or modify shared spaces.
Julia Rotmeier-Keuper and Nancy Wunderlich. 2024. “Who Am I Here? Care Consumers’ Identity Processes and Family Caregiver Interventions in the Elderscape.” Journal of Consumer Research, ucae045, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucae045