Do Ethnic-Specific Long Term Care Facilities Improve Resident Quality of Life? Findings from the Japanese American Community

Abstract

Research on resident/family perceptions of quality of life in residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs) has been sparse and has ignored ethnic-specific facilities. This qualitative inquiry compared interviews with Japanese American women in Japanese and non-Japanese RCFEs, family members, and administrators, to examine how ethnic features (e.g., Japanese language, food, staff) meet resident needs/preferences and their influence on the residents' quality of life.

Residents and families differed in their preferences and perceptions of quality of life. Residents discussed invisible life process domains such as boredom, socialization, privacy, staff attentiveness/personal qualities, and autonomy. Family members emphasized structural aspects of the homes such as location, cleanliness, costs, home-like qualities, food, and Japanese care.

While ethnic-specific institutions were unique in meeting certain needs (e.g., Japanese-speaking staff), culturally congruent characteristics alone did not provide a desired quality of life for residents, contrary to family perceptions. All institutions, including those with ethnic-specific services, need to integrate resident needs/wishes into their operations, adequate staffing, and meaningful activities to make life worth living.

Key Words:

• Ethnic residential long term care
• quality of life
• Japanese American elders