Thinking, Nursing, Building

The dream of a machine that will operate efficiently irrespective of the operator, underlies the idea of ‘purpose-built'' aged care facilities. It is typically justified with the argument that the built environment can maximize the residual strengths and minimize the disabilities of the frail and confused elderly. How nurses who care for these people experience the built environment in the course of their day to day work, rarely receives attention. This study explores the unease implicit in what nurses say, unearthing testing questions about the dream of the ‘purpose-built''.