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Georgia State University

GSU Gerontology Professor’s Research on Assisted Living Residents’ Autonomy

Check out GSU Gerontology Institute Professor Mary M. Ball‘s recently published article:

Mary M. Ball
GSU Gerontology Institute Professor Mary M. Ball

Perkins, M., Ball, M. M., Whittington, F. J., & Hollingsworth, C. (2012). Relational autonomy in assisted living: A focus on diverse care settings for older adults. Journal Of Aging Studies, 26(2), 214-225.

Ball and her colleagues “present a conceptual model of autonomy in AL [assisted living] based on over a decade of research conducted in diverse facility settings. This relational model provides an important conceptual lens for understanding the dynamic linkages between varieties of factors at multiple levels of social structure that shape residents’ ability to maintain a sense of autonomy in this often socially challenging care environment. Social and institutional change, which is ongoing, as well as the multiple and ever-changing cultural contexts within which residents are embedded, are important factors that shape residents’ experiences over time and impact resident–facility fit and residents’ ability to age in place.” (from Abstract)

"Hands of 87 years"
"Hands of 87 years" - cc gaspi*yg (flickr)

See also Professor Ball’s previous publications on assisted living: