Invisible Foundations of Care: A Phenomenological Exploration of Housekeeping, Maintenance, and Safety in Senior Living Facilities

Unobtrusive yet indispensable services such as housekeeping, regular maintenance, and safety checks form the invisible foundations that shape the quality of life in senior living facilities. This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of older adults, focusing on how they perceive and engage with these routine services. Utilizing Moustakas' transcendental phenomenology and the Modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method, the study involved one-on-one, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 20 older adults across six senior living facilities in an urban neighborhood. Five critical themes emerged: preservation of personal space, balance between consistency and adaptability, effective communication and meticulous execution, unobtrusive safety practices, and the everyday construction of dignity through routine care. Each theme, beyond its functional significance, carried emotional, psychological, and social importance, collectively enhancing the quality of life of older adults. By repositioning everyday services as active sites of meaning-making, this study challenges conventional assumptions about what constitutes "care" in institutional aging. These insights offer a foundation for refining service delivery guidelines and inform actionable recommendations for senior-friendly facilities, policymakers, and caregivers.