Some weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit an Assisted Living and an Independent Living in Portland, Oregon, for the first time. It was fascinating to observe some differences from the forms of Assisted Living that I know from my research within the EPICENTRE-PARTICIPATIO project in Switzerland.
🤝 Accompanied by my supervisor, Paula Carder, I gained insights into residents’ everyday lives and the organization of Assisted Living. The design of the built spaces and the way services are embedded in everyday life make visible a particular understanding of what Assisted Living can mean in the US context.Gemeinsam mit meiner Supervisorin Paula Carder konnte ich einen Einblick in den Alltag von Bewohnenden und in die Organisation von Assisted Living (AL) gewinnen. Durch die Gestaltung der Wohnräume und Einbettung von Dienstleistungen wird eine bestimmte Vorstellung davon sichtbar, was AL im US-Kontext bedeuten kann.
🏡 Residents’ rooms provide space for sleeping, a small living area, and a private bathroom. This private space is complemented by a small kitchenette – without a stove or oven. Most residents have their meals in a shared dining area, where several tables are already set with placemats and cutlery for the next meal. Next to it, there is another room designed to be a living room, probably serving as a space for spending time and socializing.
🩺 Medical care is embedded in everyday life in ways that differ from what I have encountered in my research in Switzerland. The presence of a nurse, together with the visibility of medical care-related objects in everyday spaces, makes clear that the services go beyond assistance with activities of daily living and meal provision. Medical care is much more integrated into residents’ everyday lives as I have seen in Swiss Assisted Living so far. as I have seen in Swiss Assisted Living so far.
In conversation with a member of the management team, it also became clear that these forms of care are closely connected to state regulation and specific licensing requirements.
🔍 What I find particularly interesting is how closely ideas of ‘private’ housing and institutionally organized care are intertwined. Rather than seeing the boundaries between ‘living privately’ and ‘being cared for’ as contradictory, I understand them as being spatially and organizationally negotiated.
Assisted Living does not mean the same thing everywhere. How people dwell and live with care, how privacy and community are organized, and what role participation and ‘having a say’ play in everyday life are shaped, among other things, by specific organizational and regulatory contexts.
💫 I am very much looking forward to continuing to observe, learn, and exchange with colleagues during my research visit at the Portland State University’s Institute on Aging, and to exploring how different understandings of housing, care, and participation are discussed and lived in Assisted Living.
Go to LinkedIn comment by Katja Jungo