‘Home’ in the aged care institution: authentic or ersatz

Recent health care transformations are driven by societal changes. Aged care institutions now place more emphasis on the design and management of the facility as a home. However, the meaning of home is contested. By analyzing one case study in the context of emerging ideas in the literature, this paper explores the construction of the institution as home. The study reveals attributes that are effective representations of home, but finds that the idea of home is often romanticized and trivialized. The paper argues that the making of home in an institution relies on the provision of privacy, autonomy and respect.