L'entrée en institution gériatrique : protocole d'accueil institutionnel et ressources psychiques personnelles de la personne âgée, deux éléments déterminants du processus d'adaptation du sujet âgé à son nouvel environnement

This work depicts the entrance of an elderly person in a geriatric institution focusing on the key actors. The situations of seven residents of a geriatric caring centre where studied at three times: the preparing meeting at home, the first day and days at the centre and finally after a period of six to 12 months at the centre. The aim of this study is to point out the value of the entrance preparation through the preparing meeting, including its limitations - an old person's adaptation level seeming to be the direct consequence of a well-thought-out welcoming process. Eventually, the interviews with the residents led to a deeper thinking - the inner psychological resources of the person need to be taken into account to increase and better the favorable effects at the entrance and throughout the whole stay.