Liminal space and the negotiation of care work in extra-care housing.

Catharina Nord

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102575

Abstract

This is a qualitative case study of care work in a liminal space, specifically the case of an extra-care housing residence, which is an innovative housing alternative for elderly people in need of care in Sweden. The study is an exploration of social care workers' perceptions about their workplaces and their understandings of themselves, which are shaped by their embeddedness in architectural space. The extra-care housing residence appeared as a liminal space in which two dominant spaces - home care services and residential care - underpinned the staff's perceptions of an unclear workplace and their identity work.

Highlights

After more than a decade of research, extra-care housing still defies a common definition
The carers in the study were identified as the liminal personæ and the analysis aimed to identify how they isolated these constituents – elements of the dominant spaces – and how they were perceived, deconstructed and recomposed in interviews “in ways that ma [d]e sense” (Turner, 1970, p. 106)
The study revealed a situation of permanent liminality explored in staff reflections in which comprehensions emerged that sometimes fused, but sometimes refused to become a working whole

Summary

Introduction

After more than a decade of research, extra-care housing still defies a common definition. International researchers maintain that there is no common terminology or standard, and architectural design and service delivery both vary substantially J. Atkinson et al, 2014; Howe et al, 2012; Larsson et al, 2013; Mayagoitia et al, 2015; Means et al, 2008; Orrell et al, 2013; Tinker et al, 2007). As regards similar items in architectural design, self-contained flats are indicated as an important common attribute, as are common rooms (Garwood, 2010; Moriarty and Man thorpe, 2011; Tinker et al, 2007). A full flat for each resident is indicated as a prerequisite for independent life in old age (Hanson et al, 2006; Tinker et al, 2007)

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