Misunderstanding home: Exploring depictions of home in old age policy decision-making
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Apr 3, 2020
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Abstract
Living at home is a core value in old age policies worldwide. This study examines how members of parliament (MP) depict the home in two parliamentary discussions related to a law on older people’s care and living arrangements in Finland. The data contained 110 speeches from 42 MPs in the first discussion and 17 in the second and was examined using thematic analysis. The extracts with the word “home” were coded and grouped as potential themes. These themes were reviewed further and reflected using relevant literature. As a result, the overarching theme ‘home as a restricted space’ was formulated with three subthemes: home as a space in which old people ‘manage to live’, ‘are treated’ and ‘live without contacts’. The findings suggest that policymakers misrecognised the valued attributes related to older persons’ homes, and in doing so, they hamper the potential for success in home-centred old age policies.
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References
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Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology 3(2): 77–101.
Chapman, T. & Hockey, J. (eds) (1999). Ideal Homes? Social Change and Domestic Life. London: Routledge.
Easthope, H. (2004). A place called home. Housing, Theory and Society 21(3): 128–38.
Eloranta, S., Arve, S., Isoaho, H., et al. (2015). Loneliness of older people aged 70: a comparison of two Finnish cohorts born 20 years apart. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 61(2): 254–60.
Ewart, I. & Luck, R. (2013). Living from home. Home Cultures 10(1): 25–42.
Fernández-Carro, C. (2016). Ageing at home, co-residence or institutionalisation? Preferred care and residential arrangements of older adults in Spain. Ageing and Society 36(3): 586–612.
Genet, N., Boerma, W., Kringos, D., et al. (2011). Home care in Europe: a systematic literature review. BMC Health Services Research 11(207).
Gillsjö, C., Schwartz-Barcott, D. & von Post, I. (2011). Home: the place the older adult cannot imagine living without. BMC Geriatrics 11(10).
Gomes, B., Calanzani, N., Gysels, M., et al. (2013). Heterogeneity and changes in preferences for dying at home: a systematic review. BMC Palliative Care 12(7).
Gott, M., Seymour, J., Bellamy, G., et al. (2004). Older people’s views about home as a place of care at the end of life. Palliative Care 18(5): 460–7.
Haak, M., Fänge, A., Iwarsson, S., et al. (2007). Home as a signification of independence and autonomy: experiences among very old Swedish people. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy 14(1): 16–24.
Van Hees, S., Horstman, K., Jansen, M., et al. (2018). Meanings of ‘lifecycle robust neighbourhoods’: constructing versus attaching to places. Ageing and Society 38(6): 1148–73.
Hillcoat-Nallétamby, S. & Ogg, J. (2014). Moving beyond ‘ageing in place’: older people’s dislikes about their home and neighbourhood environments as a motive for wishing to move. Ageing and Society 34(10): 1771–96.
Johansson, E. (2010). The long-term care system for the elderly in Finland. ENEPRI Research Report 76. Available on https://www.ceps.eu/ceps-publications/long-term-care-system-elderly-finland (Accessed: December 16, 2019)
Jolanki, O. & Kröger, T. (2015). Onko vanhalla vara valita? Vanhojen ihmisten uudet asumisvaihtoehdot [Does older person has a change to choose? New living opportunities for older people]. In Häkli, J., Vilkko, R. & Vähäkylä, L. (eds.) Kaikki kotona? Asumisen uudet tuulet [All home? The new winds of living arrangements]. (pp. 82–92). Helsinki: Gaudeamus.
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Kokko, S. & Valtonen, H. (2008). Kunnat ja vanhuspalveluiden pitkäaikaishoidon rakennemuutokset [Local authorities and structural changes in long-term care services for the elderly]. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 73(1): 12–23.
Kontos, P. (1998). Resisting institutionalization: constructing old age and negotiating home. Journal of Aging Studies 12(2): 167–84.
Mackenzie, L., Curryer, C. & Byles, J. (2015). Narratives of home and place: findings from the Housing and Independent Living Study. Ageing and Society 35(8): 1684–1712.
Mallett, S. (2004). Understanding home: a critical review of the literature. Sociological Review 52(1): 62–89.
Means, R. (2007). Safe as houses? Ageing in place and vulnerable older people in the UK. Social Policy and Administration 41(1): 65–85.
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. (2001). Ikäihmisten hoitoa ja palveluja koskeva laatusuositus [Quality Recommendation on Care and Services for the Elderly]. Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön oppaita 2001:4. Available on http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe201309236165 (Accessed: December 16, 2019)
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. (2008). Ikäihmisten palvelujen laatusuositus [Quality Recommendation for Elderly Services]. Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön julkaisuja 2008:3. Available on http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe201504225987 (Accessed: December 16, 2019)
Moore, J. (2000). Placing home in context. Journal of Environmental Psychology 20: 207–17.
Mortenson, W., Sixsmith, A. & Beringer, R. (2016). No place like home? Surveillance and what home means in old age. Canadian Journal on Aging 35(1): 103–14.
Nicholson, C., Meyer, J., Flatley, M. & Holman, C. (2013) The experience of living at home with frailty in old age: a psychosocial qualitative study. International Journal of Nursing Studies 50(9): 1172–9.
Official statistics of Finland. (2018). Sosiaali- ja terveysalan tilastollinen vuosikirja 2018 [Statistical yearbook on social welfare and health care 2018]. Helsinki: PunaMusta Oy.
Oswald, F. & Wahl, H.-W. (2005). Dimensions of the meaning of home in later life. In Rowles, G. & Chaudhury, H. (eds.), Home and Identity in Late Life: International Perspectives (pp. 21–45). New York: Springer
Pirhonen, J., Ojala, H., Lumme-Sandt, K. et al. (2015). ‘Old, but not that old’: Finnish community dwelling people aged 90+ negotiating their autonomy. Ageing and Society 36(8): 1625–1644.
Pirhonen, J. & Pulkki, J. (2016). Sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon perusarvojen jäljillä: avuntarpeen ja riippuvuuden tunnustaminen vanhuspalveluissa [Tracking the basic values in social and health care services – recognizing the need for help and dependence in elderly care]. Janus 24(3): 251–264.
Pulkki, J. & Tynkkynen, L-K. (2015). ‘All elderly people have important service needs': a study of discourses on older people in parliamentary discussions in Finland. Ageing and Society 36(1): 64–78.
Pulkki, J., Tynkkynen, L-K. & Jolanki, O. (2017). Aktivoivat, muuttuvat ja sopimattomat vanhe-nemisen paikat. Analyysi vanhuspalvelulain lähetekeskustelusta [Places of ageing in parliamentary debates in Finland]. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 82(1): 45–54.
Rowles, G. & Chaudhury, H. (eds.) (2005). Home and Identity in Late Life: International Perspectives. New York: Springer.
Rubinstein, R. & de Medeiros, K. (2005). Home, self, and identity. In Rowles, G. & Chaudhury, H. (eds.) Home and Identity in Late Life: International Perspectives (pp. 47–62). New York: Springer.
Savikko, N., Routasalo, P., Tilvis, R., et al. (2005). Predictors and subjective causes of loneliness in an aged population. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 41(3): 223–33.
Seymour, J., Payne, S., Chapman, A. et al. (2007). Hospice or home? Expectations of end-of-life care among white and Chinese older people in the UK. Sociology of Health and Illness 29(6): 872–90.
Sixsmith, A. & Sixsmith, J. (2008). Ageing in place in the United Kingdom. Ageing International 32(3): 219–35.
Starke, P. (2006). The politics of welfare state retrenchment: a literature review. Social Policy and Administration 40(1): 104–20.
Statfin. (2016). Statistics Finland PX-web database. Available on http://tilastokeskus.fi/tup/tilastotietokannat/index.html. (Accessed: December 14, 2016)
Stones, D. & Gullifer, J. (2016). ‘At home it’s just so much easier to be yourself’: older adults’ perceptions of ageing in place. Ageing and Society 36(3) 449–81.
Tarricone, R. & Tsouros, A. (eds.) (2008). Home Care in Europe. Copenhagen: World Health Organization.
Theeke, L. (2009). Predictors of loneliness in U.S. adults over age sixty-five. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 23(5): 387–96.
Vilkko, A. (2000). Riittävästi koti [Home enough]. Janus 8(3): 213–30.
Watkins, J. & Hosier, A. (2005). Conceptualizing home and homelessness: a life course perspective. In Rowles, G. & Chaudhury, H. (eds.) Home and Identity in Late Life: International Perspectives (pp. 197–216). New York: Springer.
Wiles, J., Leignig, A., Guberman, N., et al. (2012). The meaning of ‘aging in place’ to older people. Gerontologist 52(3): 357–66.
Borglin, G., Edberg, A.-K. & Hallberg, I. (2005). The experience of quality of life among old people. Journal of Ageing Studies 19(2): 201–20.
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology 3(2): 77–101.
Chapman, T. & Hockey, J. (eds) (1999). Ideal Homes? Social Change and Domestic Life. London: Routledge.
Easthope, H. (2004). A place called home. Housing, Theory and Society 21(3): 128–38.
Eloranta, S., Arve, S., Isoaho, H., et al. (2015). Loneliness of older people aged 70: a comparison of two Finnish cohorts born 20 years apart. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 61(2): 254–60.
Ewart, I. & Luck, R. (2013). Living from home. Home Cultures 10(1): 25–42.
Fernández-Carro, C. (2016). Ageing at home, co-residence or institutionalisation? Preferred care and residential arrangements of older adults in Spain. Ageing and Society 36(3): 586–612.
Genet, N., Boerma, W., Kringos, D., et al. (2011). Home care in Europe: a systematic literature review. BMC Health Services Research 11(207).
Gillsjö, C., Schwartz-Barcott, D. & von Post, I. (2011). Home: the place the older adult cannot imagine living without. BMC Geriatrics 11(10).
Gomes, B., Calanzani, N., Gysels, M., et al. (2013). Heterogeneity and changes in preferences for dying at home: a systematic review. BMC Palliative Care 12(7).
Gott, M., Seymour, J., Bellamy, G., et al. (2004). Older people’s views about home as a place of care at the end of life. Palliative Care 18(5): 460–7.
Haak, M., Fänge, A., Iwarsson, S., et al. (2007). Home as a signification of independence and autonomy: experiences among very old Swedish people. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy 14(1): 16–24.
Van Hees, S., Horstman, K., Jansen, M., et al. (2018). Meanings of ‘lifecycle robust neighbourhoods’: constructing versus attaching to places. Ageing and Society 38(6): 1148–73.
Hillcoat-Nallétamby, S. & Ogg, J. (2014). Moving beyond ‘ageing in place’: older people’s dislikes about their home and neighbourhood environments as a motive for wishing to move. Ageing and Society 34(10): 1771–96.
Johansson, E. (2010). The long-term care system for the elderly in Finland. ENEPRI Research Report 76. Available on https://www.ceps.eu/ceps-publications/long-term-care-system-elderly-finland (Accessed: December 16, 2019)
Jolanki, O. & Kröger, T. (2015). Onko vanhalla vara valita? Vanhojen ihmisten uudet asumisvaihtoehdot [Does older person has a change to choose? New living opportunities for older people]. In Häkli, J., Vilkko, R. & Vähäkylä, L. (eds.) Kaikki kotona? Asumisen uudet tuulet [All home? The new winds of living arrangements]. (pp. 82–92). Helsinki: Gaudeamus.
Kaskiharju, E. (2010) Koteja ja kodinomaisuutta: tutkimus vanhenemisen paikoista valtiopäiväpuheissa 1950–2005 [Homes and homelikeness. A study on places for ageing in parliamentary speeches from 1950 to 2005]. Jyväskylä: Jyväskylä University Printing House.
Keskimäki, I., Tynkkynen, L-K., Reissel, E., et al. (2019). Finland: Health System Review. Health Systems in Transition. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Available on https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/327538/18176127-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y ((Accessed: December 16, 2019)
Kokko, S. & Valtonen, H. (2008). Kunnat ja vanhuspalveluiden pitkäaikaishoidon rakennemuutokset [Local authorities and structural changes in long-term care services for the elderly]. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 73(1): 12–23.
Kontos, P. (1998). Resisting institutionalization: constructing old age and negotiating home. Journal of Aging Studies 12(2): 167–84.
Mackenzie, L., Curryer, C. & Byles, J. (2015). Narratives of home and place: findings from the Housing and Independent Living Study. Ageing and Society 35(8): 1684–1712.
Mallett, S. (2004). Understanding home: a critical review of the literature. Sociological Review 52(1): 62–89.
Means, R. (2007). Safe as houses? Ageing in place and vulnerable older people in the UK. Social Policy and Administration 41(1): 65–85.
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. (2001). Ikäihmisten hoitoa ja palveluja koskeva laatusuositus [Quality Recommendation on Care and Services for the Elderly]. Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön oppaita 2001:4. Available on http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe201309236165 (Accessed: December 16, 2019)
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. (2008). Ikäihmisten palvelujen laatusuositus [Quality Recommendation for Elderly Services]. Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön julkaisuja 2008:3. Available on http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe201504225987 (Accessed: December 16, 2019)
Moore, J. (2000). Placing home in context. Journal of Environmental Psychology 20: 207–17.
Mortenson, W., Sixsmith, A. & Beringer, R. (2016). No place like home? Surveillance and what home means in old age. Canadian Journal on Aging 35(1): 103–14.
Nicholson, C., Meyer, J., Flatley, M. & Holman, C. (2013) The experience of living at home with frailty in old age: a psychosocial qualitative study. International Journal of Nursing Studies 50(9): 1172–9.
Official statistics of Finland. (2018). Sosiaali- ja terveysalan tilastollinen vuosikirja 2018 [Statistical yearbook on social welfare and health care 2018]. Helsinki: PunaMusta Oy.
Oswald, F. & Wahl, H.-W. (2005). Dimensions of the meaning of home in later life. In Rowles, G. & Chaudhury, H. (eds.), Home and Identity in Late Life: International Perspectives (pp. 21–45). New York: Springer
Pirhonen, J., Ojala, H., Lumme-Sandt, K. et al. (2015). ‘Old, but not that old’: Finnish community dwelling people aged 90+ negotiating their autonomy. Ageing and Society 36(8): 1625–1644.
Pirhonen, J. & Pulkki, J. (2016). Sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon perusarvojen jäljillä: avuntarpeen ja riippuvuuden tunnustaminen vanhuspalveluissa [Tracking the basic values in social and health care services – recognizing the need for help and dependence in elderly care]. Janus 24(3): 251–264.
Pulkki, J. & Tynkkynen, L-K. (2015). ‘All elderly people have important service needs': a study of discourses on older people in parliamentary discussions in Finland. Ageing and Society 36(1): 64–78.
Pulkki, J., Tynkkynen, L-K. & Jolanki, O. (2017). Aktivoivat, muuttuvat ja sopimattomat vanhe-nemisen paikat. Analyysi vanhuspalvelulain lähetekeskustelusta [Places of ageing in parliamentary debates in Finland]. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 82(1): 45–54.
Rowles, G. & Chaudhury, H. (eds.) (2005). Home and Identity in Late Life: International Perspectives. New York: Springer.
Rubinstein, R. & de Medeiros, K. (2005). Home, self, and identity. In Rowles, G. & Chaudhury, H. (eds.) Home and Identity in Late Life: International Perspectives (pp. 47–62). New York: Springer.
Savikko, N., Routasalo, P., Tilvis, R., et al. (2005). Predictors and subjective causes of loneliness in an aged population. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 41(3): 223–33.
Seymour, J., Payne, S., Chapman, A. et al. (2007). Hospice or home? Expectations of end-of-life care among white and Chinese older people in the UK. Sociology of Health and Illness 29(6): 872–90.
Sixsmith, A. & Sixsmith, J. (2008). Ageing in place in the United Kingdom. Ageing International 32(3): 219–35.
Starke, P. (2006). The politics of welfare state retrenchment: a literature review. Social Policy and Administration 40(1): 104–20.
Statfin. (2016). Statistics Finland PX-web database. Available on http://tilastokeskus.fi/tup/tilastotietokannat/index.html. (Accessed: December 14, 2016)
Stones, D. & Gullifer, J. (2016). ‘At home it’s just so much easier to be yourself’: older adults’ perceptions of ageing in place. Ageing and Society 36(3) 449–81.
Tarricone, R. & Tsouros, A. (eds.) (2008). Home Care in Europe. Copenhagen: World Health Organization.
Theeke, L. (2009). Predictors of loneliness in U.S. adults over age sixty-five. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 23(5): 387–96.
Vilkko, A. (2000). Riittävästi koti [Home enough]. Janus 8(3): 213–30.
Watkins, J. & Hosier, A. (2005). Conceptualizing home and homelessness: a life course perspective. In Rowles, G. & Chaudhury, H. (eds.) Home and Identity in Late Life: International Perspectives (pp. 197–216). New York: Springer.
Wiles, J., Leignig, A., Guberman, N., et al. (2012). The meaning of ‘aging in place’ to older people. Gerontologist 52(3): 357–66.