Transferring Control to Others: Process and Meaning for Older Adults in Assisted Living

This study examines qualitative data describing transfers of control over life tasks (e.g., managing money, overseeing care) to close others in terms of the control by and outcome for the older person. The extant caregiving literature includes limited focus on how such task transfers occur, who controls them, and the reactions of older adults. The literature on control, however, provides extensive data that declining control has negative outcomes. Employing data from interviews with 77 adults in assisted living settings, narratives were identified where task transfers were discussed. These 26 instances were reviewed by the authors and categorized as chosen or not chosen by the older adult and their reactions categorized as positive, negative or neutral; if the initial narrative segment was ambiguous, further reading of the informant's interview or that of a family member were added to better understand these cases. Findings show that chosen transfers of tasks to children or others were linked with a positive reaction in all instances identified, while a majority of cases where tasks were taken over by others, the reactions were negative. While literature suggests that declining control is linked to negative outcomes, our findings suggest that the process involved when tasks are transfer to others (delegated or taken by them) may be an important, under-investigated element with potential implications for future research and practice.