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Title:
The Last Refuge, 1958-1959

Subject Categories:
Elderly - Social stratification and groupings
Use and provision of specific social services - Social welfare policy and systems

Depositor(s):
Townsend, P., London School of Economics and Political Science. Department of Social Policy and Administration

Principal Investigator(s):
Townsend, P., London School of Economics and Political Science. Department of Social Policy and Administration

Sponsor(s):
Nuffield Foundation

Abstract:
This data collection consists of material generated by a national study of 1958-1959, which investigated the provision of long-stay institutional care for old people. Interviews were conducted with 67 local authority chief welfare officers; and 173 institutions - local authority, voluntary and private - were visited and interviews made with their matrons, wardens and proprietors; as well as residents. In many cases, detailed notes were also made about the condition of the buildings and the facilities that were offered. Additional material includes diaries kept by residents and professionals, and Townsend’s accounts of two institutions where he stayed and worked. This study sought to ask "Are long stay institutions for old people necessary in our society, and, if so, what form should they take"?


Main Topics:
Old age; elderly people; residential care of the elderly; nursing homes; old people's homes; care of dependants; retirement; nursing; nursing staff; poverty; welfare services; welfare service administration; social isolation; loneliness.

Coverage:
Time Period Covered: 1958-1959
Dates of Fieldwork: 1958-1959
Country: England and Wales
Spatial Units: No spatial unit
Observation Units: Individuals; Institutions/organisations
Kind of Data: Textual data; Individual (micro) level; Accounts of interviews; Diaries; Particpant observation accounts.

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:National
Population:Chief welfare officers, matrons/wardens and elderly people in residential accommodation in England and Wales.

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Cross-sectional (one-time) study
Sampling Procedures: One-stage stratified or systematic random sample
Number of Units: 173
Method of Data Collection: Face-to-face interview; Observation
Weighting: No weighting used

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: Host archive conditions apply
Availability: These data are available from a service other than ESDS, UK Data Archive - National Social Policy and Social Change Archive. Albert Sloman Library Special Collections, University of Essex. Contact ESDS Qualidata, UK Data Archive, in the first instance.
Contact: Help desk: qualidata@esds.ac.uk
Please Note: Online documentation, prepared by ESDS Qualidata, is available via the link below.

Copyright:
Copyright Professor Peter Townsend.

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