Residential Care Transformed Revisiting 'The Last Refuge' [Hardcover]

This book, now in paperback, revisits Peter Townsend's classic study of residential care for older people in Britain conducted in the late 1950s. It provides not only a fascinating account of residential care for older people over the last 50 years but is also an important contribution to the literature on research methods.In Memoriam Acknowledgements PART I: THE CONTEXT Why Revisit 'The Last Refuge'? Changing Contexts of Care The Study Design and Methods PART II: REVISITING 'THE LAST REFUGE' Survivors and Non-survivors Residents and Staff The Living Environment Daily Lives The Quality of Care PART III: CONCLUSIONS Revisiting and Reuse Continuity and Change in Residential Care for Older People Appendixes Notes References Index

WINNER OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY'S INAUGURALPETER TOWNSEND POLICY PRESS BOOK PRIZE

'This study gives us a unique insight into the changing nature of institutional care over half a century. It is methodologically innovative, using older volunteers to help in the research, but it is reflective and self-critical about the limits of its approach - a model for students in the subject. It is beautifully written with moving accounts of the quality of the last years of individuals' lives. It could not be more relevant to policy in an ageing society.' - The British Academy juding panel for the inaugural Peter Townsend Policy Press Prize

'Elegantly written it is a pleasure to read...highly recommended.' - Journal of Social Policy

'This is an important book. It addresses key issues about the quality of residential care for the elderly, about 'institutional' life more broadly, and especially about methodologies and ethics in social science research.' - Canadian Journal of Sociology

'This book enhances our understanding of key issues, such as the balance between regulations and human dignity in care provision, and the stigmatization of residential care as opposed to other types ofl³Á