Living and Dying at Murray Manor

by Jaber F. Gubrium

Living and Dying at Murray Manor is a classic text that documents how the "work" of everyday life in a nursing home is accomplished. Jaber F. Gubrium spent several months at a nursing home as a participant-observer, involved in activities ranging from performing menial "toileting" work to serving as a gerontologist at staff meetings. The result is not a survey of statistics about nursing homes but an examination of the social organization of care in a single home the author calls Murray Manor. Gubrium's research reveals how staff, clientele, relatives, visiting physicians, and funeral directors negotiated their respective roles, needs, and goals- and how, in the end, Murray Manor emerged as an organized social entity.

221 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1975

Reviews

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as an undergrad and it still resonates- how people who are institutionalized (whether due to age or disability)are 'dealt with' by their caregivers. Those who want to think for themselves are considered trouble makers. Remember "One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest"?

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very insightful, because it's not every day that you are able to see behind the scenes of a hospital, or a nursing home such as this book gives you.