Portrayals of nursing homes and their residents in American newspapers during natural disasters, 1999-2008: Social justice and the management of disposable lives

It is argued that a society's ethical foundations are revealed by how it treats its most vulnerable members. While research considered how nursing homes handled natural disasters, and the consequences of (mis)management in terms of lost lives, little attention has been paid to portrayals of nursing homes at times of natural disasters in print media, and the significance and meanings of these representations.This paper explores portrayals of nursing homes in the context of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 51 American newspapers, including 4 national papers (The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times) published in 2005 and retrieved from the LexisNexis database. Quantitative content-analysis of 2,000 articles about nursing homes and their residents explores correlations between the negative tone of each article and its focus on quality of care, financing, elder neglect, and governmental and legal actions. Supplementary qualitative thematic analysis of 50 articles published on a newspaper's front page reveals a focus on structural inequalities, with differences observed between stories of facilities that either decided to or were forced to shelter in place, versus those that chose to evacuate their residents. Attention is paid to conflicting stereotypes of economic effectiveness versus social justice that underlie portrayals of triage when scarce resources need to be allocated between persons more and less likely to survive. Findings are discussed in the context of current public policies regarding nursing home preparedness for natural disasters and protection of vulnerable seniors whose lives may become virtually disposable.