What Makes a Senior Living Community Homey in the United States

Background: Patient-centered care emphasizes the importance of client preferences in all care environments. The number of individuals residing in senior living communities is expected to increase as the baby boomer generation ages which makes understanding this specific population's needs important. Senior living community staff recognize the need to improve hominess and comfort; however, it is not always clear what stakeholders value most. One Scotish study found varying viewpoints related to how standards, the ability to play an active role, and a sense of belonging contributed to a sense of hominess in a senior care facility, but it is unclear if the same viewpoints are present in the United States. Using a research technique specifically designed to identify preferences, Q methodology, the purpose of this study is to explore what characteristics residents, families, and staff believe make a senior living community in the United States feel "homey" and to determine if these characteristics transcend national boundaries.

Method: This IRB approved study is a replication of a project done in Scotland. The recruited sample will include 5 to 10 participants from 3 categories; residents, families, and staff members. The study will use a Q methodology design which involves the use of a set of philosophical principles, data collection techniques, and statitiscal procedures to quantitatively study subjective beliefs and attitudes. With the investigator present, participants will sort a set of 30 subjective statements about the characteristics that they feel are most important to quality of life in a senior living facility. Data will be recorded on a -3 to +3 forced distribution sorting sheet and supplemented with responses to follow-up interview questions. By-person factor analysis will be done using PQMethod software to find groups with shared viewpoints. A factor array with factor scores will be used to describe the shared viewpoints. Finally, a second order factor analysis will be completed to find commonalities between this study and the original Scotish study.

Findings: Data collection from the current study is in progress.

Conclusion: It is anticipated that the findings from this study will contribute to the body of literature used to improve quality of life in senior living communities.