Sheila L. Molony PhD, RN, GNP-BC
John A. Hartford Foundation, Claire M. Fagin Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Postdoctoral Associate, Yale School of Nursing
smolony@nursing.upenn.edu
746-4453

Areas of Research Interest

• The experience of “at-homeness” (optimal person-environment fit) for older adults experiencing health and residential transition
• The contributions of place to health and at-homeness

In Her Own Words:

Long-term care is provided in the home, community, adult day health centers, assisted living environments and nursing homes. Transitions within and between these environments are common as individuals age and their health and personal needs change. The majority of older adults in need of long-term care (LTC) services (82%) would prefer to “age in place,” in their home. “Home” has been cited as a source of strength and resilience. It is my contention that all LTC environments would benefit from a deep understanding of the experience of “home,” not simply as a building or physical structure, but rather as an experience of meaningful relationship with oneself and one’s world. Some aspects of geographic or architectural “homes” are non-transferable – memories, spatial and sensory familiarity, meaningful social centers of long-term family, friend and neighborly relationships. But there are ways of making people of any age feel more welcome, more comfortable and more in-control of their lives and their dwellings. My research program is exploring how we might potentiate the individual, social and residential contributions to at-homeness in nursing homes, assisted living environments, small houses, family dwellings and other settings. I have hypothesized that attending to personalized meanings of home, and creating possibilities for small experiences that build on those meanings, may foster at-homeness, a key mediator of resilience and thriving.

Current Research Studies:

The Effects of Residential Transition on Thriving in a PACE Program: A Feasibility Study; and The Resident’s Experience of Home over Time in Two Long-term Care Environments

Faculty Mentor
Lois K Evans, PhD, FAAN, RN van Ameringen Professsor in Nursing Excellence; Chair, Family and Community Health Department