Residential care buildings for the elderly

Abstract

The residential care buildings of interest to this study are those institutional buildings commonly known as rest homes, that provide accommodation for semi-dependant persons. In general terms this describes a group of elderly persons which lies between those people who manage, independently in single dwelling units (house, flat etc.) and others who require full hospital care. As well as the provision of accommodation for the semi-dependant elderly person supervision in the management of day to day living activities may be required. It is in the nature of the exercise, that, when we gather together a particular group of people in such a common purpose, we create an "institution", the connotation of which generally creates negative responses.