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Direct Care Workers' Response to Dying and Death in the Nursing Home: A Case Study

¹ Community and Homecare Research Division, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
² Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Doctoral Program in Gerontology, University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Address correspondence to Dr. Helen K. Black, Community and Homecare Research Division, Thomas Jefferson University, 130 S. 9 St., Suite 515, Philadelphia, PA 19107. E-mail: helen.black{at}Jefferson.edu

Objectives. This paper is based on research that explored the cultural construction of dying and death in nursing homes and assisted living facilities in a large Northeastern city. It focuses on direct care workers' responses to elders' dying and death within the facility.

Methods. Data were gathered in a multiyear, multisite study through formal ethnographic interviews, informal conversations, and on-site observations of staff members.

Results. We introduce the case of Jayson, an activities director in a for-profit nursing home. We show how his belief system and experiences outside the facility, especially those concerning dying and death, shape his view of the nature and content of his work and his reaction to residents' deaths.

Discussion. We suggest caretaking at the intersection of gender, race, socioeconomic status, and the inside and outside life of direct care workers as topics for future research.