[APG Public List] Nursing homes

[Jeanette Daniels]

Larry,

Nursing homes in the US refer to caring for patients in the last stages of life 
(elderly people) who can no longer take care of themselves or patients with 
degenerative diseases who need constant care.  Also connected to nursing homes 
are patients who need short-term care out of the hospital after having surgery 
or are suffering from injuries from car or other types of accidents.  They stay 
in the "rehabilitation" area.  Thanks for sharing the UK and Irish meaning.   We 
definitely need to understand the vocabulary for different areas and different 
time periods.  This is a great example.

Jeanette



________________________________
From: LBoswell <laboswell at rogers.com>
To: Ray Beere Johnson II <raybeere at yahoo.com>; Janey Joyce 
<jejoyce at sbcglobal.net>; APG Posting <apgpubliclist at apgen.org>
Sent: Mon, September 27, 2010 7:51:02 AM
Subject: [APG Public List] Nursing homes

 
In the UK and Ireland, the term 'nursing home' is often used to mean  'maternity 
home' or 'birth home'.  Not sure if that was the case in Canada  or the US.   So 
and so 'born in nursing home'. 

 
What I'm wondering is what is the origin of the phrase 'nursing  home'?  Was it 
orginally used in the sense of a maternity/birth home as was  commonly the 
case in the UK/Ireland?  Interesting, because you could  take the term 'nursing' 
two different directions.  Nursing someone   through illness or  in the final 
stages of old age.  Or nursing  as in caring for, nourishing an infant.
 
Or did the phrase 'nursing home' evolve from different roots in the UK then  it 
did here?  Were maternity homes, homes for unwed mothers ever called  'nursing 
homes' in the US/CDA?    Should be noted that the UK  'nursing homes' aren't 
specifically for unwed mothers, probably most women going  to them would have 
been married.
 
(just had a few "born in a nursing home" mentions, so got to thinking about  the 
origin of the phrase)
 
Larry


      
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