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Doing the unknown. Spa activities in a nursing homes

Harnett, Tove LU (2018) In Qualitative Sociology Review 14(3). p.86-104
Abstract
An ethnomethodological point of departure is that people rely on shared knowledge when mutually accomplishing everyday situations. Whereas most residents in a nursing home have a reasonable previous knowledge of events such as bingo or Christmas dinners, other activities such as pub evenings and spa activities are unfamiliar. Using ethnographic data from a Swedish nursing home with a “sport and spa” profile, this article investigates the challenges of arranging spa activities, an activity often unknown among residents. The findings show how residents’ lack of spa knowledge was found to cause problems, especially when they did not interpret the indexical expressions as intended. Where Garfinkel’s indexicality is... (More)
An ethnomethodological point of departure is that people rely on shared knowledge when mutually accomplishing everyday situations. Whereas most residents in a nursing home have a reasonable previous knowledge of events such as bingo or Christmas dinners, other activities such as pub evenings and spa activities are unfamiliar. Using ethnographic data from a Swedish nursing home with a “sport and spa” profile, this article investigates the challenges of arranging spa activities, an activity often unknown among residents. The findings show how residents’ lack of spa knowledge was found to cause problems, especially when they did not interpret the indexical expressions as intended. Where Garfinkel’s indexicality is predicated on actors being able to use shared knowledge, this study demonstrates that a lack of shared knowledge enables some actors to reshape the activity they wish to accomplish. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Indexicality, Nursing Home, Eldercare, Spa, Leisure Activity, Ethnomethodology
in
Qualitative Sociology Review
volume
14
issue
3
pages
86 - 104
publisher
Lodz University
external identifiers
  • scopus:85057846254
ISSN
1733-8077
DOI
10.18778/1733-8077.14.3.05
project
Profiled eldercare and identity
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
efa80d72-d058-457e-af82-e1eea824c7de
date added to LUP
2018-12-17 10:21:48
date last changed
2023-03-17 11:00:35
@article{efa80d72-d058-457e-af82-e1eea824c7de,
  abstract     = {{An ethnomethodological point of departure is that people rely on shared knowledge when mutually accomplishing  everyday  situations.  Whereas  most  residents  in  a  nursing  home  have  a  reasonable  previous knowledge of events such as bingo or Christmas dinners, other activities such as pub evenings and spa activities are unfamiliar. Using ethnographic data from a Swedish nursing home with a “sport and spa” profile, this article investigates the challenges of arranging spa activities, an activity often unknown among residents. The findings show how residents’ lack of spa knowledge was found to  cause  problems,  especially  when  they  did  not  interpret  the  indexical  expressions  as  intended. Where Garfinkel’s indexicality is predicated on actors being able to use shared knowledge, this study demonstrates that a lack of shared knowledge enables some actors to reshape the activity they wish to accomplish.}},
  author       = {{Harnett, Tove}},
  issn         = {{1733-8077}},
  keywords     = {{Indexicality; Nursing Home; Eldercare; Spa; Leisure Activity; Ethnomethodology}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{86--104}},
  publisher    = {{Lodz University}},
  series       = {{Qualitative Sociology Review}},
  title        = {{Doing the unknown. Spa activities in a nursing homes}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.14.3.05}},
  doi          = {{10.18778/1733-8077.14.3.05}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}