Main description:

First published in 1964, The Last Refuge originated from the author's visit to a Victorian workhouse which had become an Institution for old people. A visit that was to show frightful overcrowding in sparsely furnished dormitories. Day-rooms bleak and uninviting in which sat watery-eyed and feeble men, their spirit and pride drained away by the hopelessness of the surroundings. The many unexpected conditions Professor Townsend found led him to undertake this major enquiry into the question "Are communal homes for the aged necessary in our community and if so, what form should they take?" Visits were paid to a random sample of 173 residential institutions and homes, and welfare officers, matrons and elderly residents were interviewed. The general conclusion was that communal homes of the kind that existed in England and Wales did not adequately meet the physical, psychological and social needs of the old people living in them and required immediate alternative services and living arrangements. This book will be of interest to students of sociology, social care, public policy and gerontology.

Contents:

Acknowledgements 1. Objects and Methods of Study 2. History of the Institutional Care of the Aged 3. The Old Workhouse 4. The Local Authority Post-War Home 5. The Voluntary Home 6. The Private Home 7. Entering an Old People's Home 8. Incapacity for Self-care 9. Reasons for Admission 10. Some Effects Upon Old People of Living in Residential Homes 11. Developing Future Policy 12. Conclusion Appendix Selected References Index