Contradictions between perceptions and practices of caring in long-term care of elderly people.

Care for elderly people in nursing homes is a subject of increasing interest as populations around the world age. Numerous studies have been reported in relation to caring, how it is defined and what it means to nurses and clients in different contexts. Nursing is equated with caring and yet reports of nursing home care frequently cite such uncaring practices as neglect, fostered dependency, infantilization and depersonalization. The contradictions are explored with the aim of improving care of elderly people through greater understanding of how caring is perceived and practised.