Value of Independence in Old Age. Abstract and Executive Summary of Dissertation

摘要

This study began with a focus on resident independence in Oregon's assisted211u001eliving facility (ALF) program. Oregon's Administrative Rules (OAR 411-56) for 211u001eassisted living facilities, adopted in 1989, list six human values as defining 211u001efeatures for the development and enactment of assisted living: independence, 211u001eindividuality, privacy, choice, dignity, and a home-like environment. The value 211u001eof independence, as viewed from a variety of contemporary perspectives, was the 211u001efocus of this study. Assisted living facilities promote an image of independent 211u001eliving in a 'home-like' setting for seniors. In Oregon, this means a private 211u001ehandicapped-accessible apartment with bathroom and kitchenette. Services include 211u001epersonal care, meals and laundry, medication delivery including insulin 211u001einjections, and incontinence management. The target population includes 211u001eindividuals in their seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth decades of life--the 211u001e'oldest old' in U.S. society.