Experiences of health and aging for younger adults in long-term care: a social-ecological multi-method approach

There is an increasing number of younger adults with disabilities becoming residents of long-term care (LTC) homes across Atlantic Canada. Moving younger adults into LTC is less-than-ideal and presents an immediate challenge for LTC homes to meet the unique health-related needs of younger residents. This study explored the lived experiences of younger residents in a Nova Scotian LTC setting in terms of their long-term health and aging-in-place needs. Guided by the social-ecological model, this study gathered first-person experiences through photovoice and interview methods. Eleven residents, aged 36 to 60 years, illustrated how their health and aging processes were affected by multiple interacting individual, interpersonal, and environmental factors. Participants identified how they wished to be supported within LTC to improve comprehensive health services. This study demonstrates that younger LTC residents can, and should, be part of the planning for their own specialized healthcare and housing to support positive health and aging. Points of Interest There are many factors that influence the experience of living and aging in long-term care homes for younger adults with disabilities. These factors relate to the resident as an individual, their relationships while living in long-term care, and the environment of the long-term care home as a place to live. Younger long-term care residents need to be involved in the decisions being made on how to improve their experiences living in long-term care homes over time. There are different ways that younger residents can be involved in these decisions. For example, taking and presenting photographs to long-term care managers to show their issues and concerns as well as illustrate the possible opportunities to make long-term care homes a better place for them to live.