Unhinging the Assumptions With in Independence. Toward a Broader Conceptualization of Diversity and Difference in Home Care

School of Social Work, McGill University Canadian Review of Social Policy/ Revue Canadienne de politique sociale Spring/Summer 2003, No. 51, p. 28-48 In recent years, use of the term independence has proliferated in the field of health and long-term care. Originally associated with the normalization and de-institutionalization movements, use of this term has extended into gerontology and policy. Emphasis on demographic transition of older persons and the associated health care costs have brought aging and cost restriction of care for persons considered dependent to the forefront. At the same time, policy and service provision is being altered dramatically. Current health and long-term care policy efforts concentrate on balancing the independence of persons requiring services with the costs of providing these services.