Into the House of Old: A History of Residential Care in British Columbia (Volume 14) (McGill-Queen’s/Associated Medical Services Studies in the History of Medicine, H)

Spanning the period from the 1890s to the 1960s "Into the House of Old" details the lives and survival strategies of elderly people as they struggle to remain independent. Megan Davies opens the door to the institutional world of the old age home, demonstrating how the legacy of the poor law and the demands of the emerging welfare state worked together to shape residential care facilities for seniors. She looks at the experiences of elderly people on B.C.'s economic and social margins both before and after the advent of old age pensions, analysing the myriad strategies used by the elderly poor to stay out of institutions and the role of family, community, and state support in this process. Davies' study of institutional life is multi-textured, informed by social and architectural theory while telling us much about daily life in these facilities. We learn about angry rebellion and harsh discipline, fun and festivals, death and compassion. And we see how the twentieth century witnessed the gradual withdrawal of these institutions from the life of the community, further enhancing the marginal place of the old age home in our society. Chronicling the evolution of professional ideas about residential care facilities and an innovative program to move elderly patients out of acute care hospital beds, "Into the House of Old" provides a context for understanding this problematic institution as both an offspring of the poor law and a product of the post-Second World War expansion of state medical services. "Into the House of Old is a remarkable dissection of the societal structures created in the last century to take care of the elderly. Using social and architectural theory, Megan Davies recreates institutional life as it evolved from the 1890s to the 1960s in response to the changing perceptions of the elderly - and particularly the elderly poor - by society, government, and a new group of professional social workers and health care providers. Into the House of Old provides a context for understanding the old age home, an institution that continues to reflect both the concern and ambivalence that North American society feels towards its eldest citizens."--Résumé de l'éditeur. "Into the House of Old is a remarkable dissection of the societal structures created in the last century to take care of the elderly. Using social and architectural theory, Megan Davies recreates institutional life as it evolved from the 1890s to the 1960s in response to the changing perceptions of the elderly - and particularly the elderly poor - by society, government, and a new group of professional social workers and health care providers. Into the House of Old provides a context for understanding the old age home, an institution that continues to reflect both the concern and ambivalence that North American society feels towards its eldest citizens."--BOOK JACKET 1. The Elderly In The Community: Coping Strategies And Vulnerability -- 2. Homes For Pioneers And Homes For Senior Citizens: Institutional Development -- 3. The Old Age Home Revisioned: The Nursing Home Ideal -- 4. Institutional Culture: The World Of The Old Age Home -- 5. Community Care Or Institutional Care? The Impact Of The Welfare State. Megan J. Davies. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 223-237) And Index. Spanning the period from the 1890s to the 1960s, this title details the lives and survival strategies of elderly people as they struggle to remain independent. It demonstrates how the legacy of the poor law and the demands of the welfare state worked together to shape residential care facilities for seniors.