Safety Concerns for Persons with Dementia in Senior Housing: A Qualitative Study with Korean American Caregivers in Los Angeles

ABSTRACT

Subsidized senior housing helps many socioeconomically disadvantaged older adults pursue independent living and aging in place. However, cognitive impairment or dementia poses a critical challenge to many residents’ ability to live independently and safely. Focusing on Korean American dementia caregivers, a group known to be vulnerable to caregiving burden but understudied, we explored the safety of persons with dementia in senior housing from the perspectives of caregivers. Qualitative data from nine caregivers whose care recipients were current or former residents of subsidized senior housing in Los Angeles were analyzed by the constant comparative method. Major concerns emerged were: (1) fire risks, (2) wandering, (3) physical injury (e.g., self-harm, falls), and (4) potential neglect. Caregivers also mentioned errors in the self-administration of medications, potential financial exploitation, and interpersonal conflicts. These concerns provide implications for services and programs for the safety of persons with dementia who live in senior housing.

KEYWORDS:

• Safety
• dementia
• senior housing
• caregivers
• Korean Americans
• qualitative method

Acknowledgments

Data collection was supported by the National Institute on Aging (R21AG071790) and the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (12-5176-5413). The study was partially supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2020S1A5C2A03092919).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [R21AG071790]; National Research Foundation of Korea [NRF-2020S1A5C2A03092919]; Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute [12-5176-5413]