Home is Where the Heart is: Relocation in Later Years

Abstract

The story of a ninety-year-old man's experience of relocation to a new home and the author's role in assisting him is used here as a vehicle for the exploration of key issues affecting the well-being of older people due to injury, illness, and frailty. Particular emphasis is given to the importance of challenging ageist attitudes and derogatory labels, of validating the older person's reactions to loss and change and of adopting an empowerment approach. The grief of leaving a place to which one has become attached, and the stresses for professional caregivers who feel torn between the needs of their clients and the policies and practices of their employing organization, are also discussed.