The service I chose to explore is convalescent hospitals, or nursing homes. Every year millions of elderly people are admitted to nursing homes in the United States. Some are transferred directly from hospitals while others are placed in nursing homes as a result of an agonizing decision process. A nursing home is a temporary placement for some elderly, but others will remain there the rest of their lives. Although nursing homes are a thriving industry there is a stigma attached to this form of community service for the elderly. Media horror stories have led most people to assume that elderly people are dumped into nursing homes by uncaring relatives and "warehoused" by uncaring staff. I decided to research the subject myself, through observation, interview, and written material. I concluded that nursing homes are not inherently negative places, and that they provide a necessary service for the elderly population.
Before starting my field research, I read a highly recommended book Making Gray Gold: Narratives of Nursing Home Care by Timothy Diamond. In the book, Diamond recounts his experiences as a nursing assistant in various nursing homes in the United States. The author, a male, completed training as a nursing assistant and went "undercover" while gathering information for this ethnographic study.
The main theme of Making Gray Gold is that nursing homes are bureaucratic institutions that could use a healthy dose of "mother's wit." Mother's wit describes the maternal feelings and interpersonal skills needed by all persons who give primary care to the elderly: "Mother's wit is not an abstract concept or a set of ideas; it is the wide range of practices that hold the organization together" (241). Nursing is a caring profession, and nowhere is compassion and insight more needed than in the sterile environment of the nursing home. As Diamond's instructor advised him, "You have to look into a patient's eyes as much ...