Aging & Society: Eighth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The rapid growth in the ageing population has led to a rise in the numbers of older people relocating from the domestic home to institutional care homes. The growing demand for residential care homes (RCHs) in Malaysia is occurring at a time when lack of understanding is evident about the quality of the care environment. The conditions in which older people live in Malaysia RCHs leave a lot to be desired. This study investigates residential care across a range of settings in Malaysia, including the public, private, and NGO sectors. The objectives are to gain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the care environment in Malaysian residential homes from the perspective of the older residents and to identify factors (both physical and social) that contribute positively to a good care environment. The study will progress in two phases. Phase one will involve a cross-sectional survey to gain a better understanding of the wider context of RCHs in Malaysia. Phase two will involve case studies of three RCHs to gain an in-depth understanding of their social and physical environments, using observations, in-depth semi-structure interviews, and documentary analyses. The expected outcome will help policy makers to improve current RCH guidelines, thereby improving the experiences and sense of wellbeing of older residents living in residential care homes.