Abstract:

Homes for the aged previously were highly structured, routinized & standardized 'dumping grounds' for the unwanted elderly in need of custodial care. However, the changing social environment brought concomitant change to the homes & their view within society. Increased life span & decreased concern for aging parents by children have fostered alternatives to the traditional extended family structure of other societies. Changing values, alternatives to institutionalisation & wide-spread criticism have created pressure for structural & organizational modifications in the objectives, services, & clientele of contemporary homes for the aged. Economy & efficiency move homes toward standardization while effectiveness centers on the individual. Despite different values & objectives, current homes for the aged are again floundering in the mire of rules, regulations, standardization, & routine. In the European context, more concern is given to the individual through independent & semi-independent quarters in the home & increased awareness of the desirability of small size & decentralization. The European elderly person is treated individually rather than as a member of the group of aged.