Relocating a nursing home

One of the areas that is included in facility management is relocation and move management. This exploratory research focuses on the relocation of nursing home residents and the influence on their wellbeing. As other organizations, nursing homes do change over time. Such changes may include reorganizations, mergers, and closures.
At the same time such changes will foster a changing demand for space. As a direct consequence there may be a need to relocate residents leading to transitional and irreversible spatial interventions in the life of these nursing home residents. This may affect their physiological and psychological wellbeing: be reminded that a relocation process may cause serious stress and related health problems at these residents.

The aim of this paper is to provide a literature review of studies on relocation outcomes. Because no recent literature was found on the particular Dutch situation, other studies have been reviewed in order to expose the diversity of studies and varying results. It is confirmed that relocation influences the wellbeing of nursing home residents. Positive or negative influences are determined by the organization of the relocation. Positive influences can be expected, for instance, if residents are mentally well-prepared prior to the move, if extra staff is deployed to stay in close contact with residents during the move, and if facility managers develop after-care programs until residents are completely accustomed to the new situation.