Abstract:

This article concerns 40 participants in the Bangor Longitudinal Study of Ageing who, between 1979 and 1995, moved into residential care. It compares their need for help with activities of daily living, help with household tasks, and formal service visits to their home to that of 77 people aged over 83 years who were living in the community in 1995. Prior to entering residential care, difficulties with activities of daily living in four areas were significantly greater in this group than in those remaining in the community: dressing, using the toilet, getting out of bed, and putting on shoes and stockings. Home visits by the health and social services were not more frequent for those who entered residential care, although more people in this group received home visits from a chiropodist. The levels of help received for household tasks were similar for both groups. Those who entered residential care received more help with making fires than those remaining in the community, but the latter group received more help with household repairs than the former. Scores for each person were calculated for use of services, difficulty with activities of daily living, and help with household tasks, but they did not reveal any significant differences between the two groups. Although service use appears not to be a good predictor, the ability to manage four activities of daily living and a person's health emerge as pointers to entry into residential care. The data showed that those in residential care considered their self-rated health to be poorer than those in the community, although they were not more likely to be housebound or have medical conditions that limited their activities.