Role of local authority homes in the care of the dependent elderly: a prospective study.

A two-year prospective study of 11 local authority homes showed no increase in the degrees of behavioural disabilities or the prevalence of dependency or dementia among the residents. This finding, which differed from trends reported in other studies, was unlikely to be due to the design of the study and occurred in the absence of a co-ordinated service for the elderly. It was probably the effect of changes in the admission policy of the social-work services and suggests that, in some parts of Britain at least, residential homes are no longer absorbing additional numbers of dependent or demented old people in need of institutional care.