First published in 1990, Working in Residential Homes for Elderly People outlines the purposes and objectives of residential homes and what it is like to live and work in them. The author looks at the factors that make for a good quality of life, considering how these can be promoted and how staff can work with people, both individually and in groups, to help them get the best out of life. He reviews prevalent thinking about what happens to people as they grow older, and, at a practical level, he looks carefully at the day-to-day management of homes, suggesting how they should be organized in order to get the best out of the staff, buildings and resources. Unique in its coverage of the process of ageing, good practice, and good management, the book takes into account the differing needs of both residents and staff. With its emphasis on the various aspects of the flexible, individual support necessary in providing ‘a good home’, it will be invaluable to social work and social care students, residential workers, and their managers.
1. Beginning at the Beginning 2. Respecting Differences, Accepting Similarities on Ageing and Being Old 3. What are Homes for? 4. What do Homes do? 5. Gatekeeping: Processes of Admission and Assessment 6. ‘If It Were Your Mother, Or Brother, Or Father…’: Helping Individuals 7. Living Together: Helping People in Groups 8. Good Lives and Good Jobs: Bringing it All Together 9. Reflections: A Final Word Bibliography Name index Subject index
Biography
C. Paul Brearley
