Laferrère, Lisbeth
At home in a residential facility: Between dependence and independence, a testimony
- 2021.
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In May 2019, Lisbeth moved into a senior living residential facility. The idea of interviewing her for the special issue of Gerontology and Society on “ageing in place” took root in the mind of her daughter, the issue coordinator, who noted some of the thoughts exchanged over more than a year. The period was rich in events: some more or less expected like ageing, others much more unpredictable like the arrival of a virus. Can one feel at home in a residential facility after the age of ninety? More than a year of experience allows us to identify some important elements. One loses a form of independence that had become impossible or even burdensome at home, to gain another type of independence made possible by a comfortable home and adapted services. But the pathologies of ageing are catching up, accentuated by the COVID-19 lockdown.