The move from a familiar home to a foreign institution has serious consequences for many people. How do they cope with the new situation in the nursing home? What role does the longing for their abandoned home play in this? This work addresses these questions. Through qualitative research studies, the author gradually approaches the culture of the institution and the emotional world of those affected. The farewell to home is often experienced as a crisis of meaning and life, especially since life in a nursing home can be associated with alien experiences and often has negative effects on self-esteem, identity, and emotional well-being. Homesickness, as a metaphor for a more primal longing, creates structures of meaning for the residents of the nursing home that can reconstruct and contextualize the lost sense of security—both in retrospect and in memory.