Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]
Author:
 		Keyword(s):
Year:  Vol:  Page: 

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Carder, P. C.
Right arrow Articles by Hernandez, M.
Right arrow Articles citing this Article
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Carder, P. C.
Right arrow Articles by Hernandez, M.
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 59:S58-S67 (2004)
© 2004 The Gerontological Society of America

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Consumer Discourse in Assisted Living

Paula C. Carder1, and Mauro Hernandez2

1 Center for Aging Studies, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
2 Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco.

Address correspondence to Paula C. Carder, NCB Development Corporation, 1725 Eye Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006. E-mail: pcarder{at}ncbdc.org

Objectives. The aim of this article is to discuss the cultural construction of the assisted living consumer. Based on theories of consumer studies, it focuses on organizational strategies employed by assisted living practitioners to promote consumer choice and independence while mediating potential risks.

Methods. Data include field notes, participation in manager-training programs, and interviews with residents and family members during a 22-month study of three Oregon facilities.

Results. Consumer discourse is evident in four primary sources, including the state rules, manager-training programs, organizational practices, and an institutional belief in specific consumer demands like independence and choice.

Discussion. Personal care is a complex consumer "good" further complicated by residents with cognitive impairments, family demands, payment sources, and the very novelty of the assisted living philosophy. We conclude with a discussion of benefits and pitfalls based on the use of consumer discourse that represents older persons as active consumers, rather than recipients, of long-term care services.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All GSA journals The Gerontologist
Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
Copyright © 2004 by The Gerontological Society of America.