Housing and Community Care for Older People

Abstract

The reasons for the move towards a policy of community care for a variety of different groups of people have been similar. Thus, for older people, as for people with learning difficulties, the major impetus has been a desire to move away from institutional care. In an important study of residential care for older people, Townsend (1962) painted a bleak picture of institutional life and recommended a move towards community care. In doing this, Townsend had existing forms of provision on which he could base his proposals for expansion, the most important of which were domiciliary services (especially the home-help service) and sheltered housing. Provision of both of these has expanded considerably in the intervening period, and they have become the cornerstones of community care provision for older people. Butler, Oldman and Greve (1983) estimated that 5 per cent of the population over 65 lived in sheltered housing, and this figure has increased considerably in the last few years. In 1980 it was estimated that 871,115 people received a home-help service and that 89 per cent of these were over retirement age (Dexter and Harbert, 1983).