Western Polynesia's first home for the aged: Are concept and culture compatible?

In 1975 Western Polynesia's first home for the aged, called Mapuifagalele, was established in a village just outside Apia. The home was operated by the Little Sisters of the Poor and housed 83 elderly Samoans of both Catholic and Protestant faith. This paper outlines the traditional Samoan patterns of aging and the high priority placed on family care for elders. In discussing the home and its residents, we consider ways in which what might appear to be an incompatible institutional concept has been adapted to fit the local cultural configuration. We also speculate on a variety of factors which may or may not be responsible for the acceptance and on-going operation of a facility of this type.