Alternatives to Long Term Institutional Care for Older People

This report by Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellow, Rebecca Jarvis, explores a range of alternative ‘housing with care’ models for older people in Japan and New Zealand. It follows her research into to what extent these facilities in these countries are truly alternatives to residential care and whether replicable in a UK context.

The report’s findings are divided into five themes of:

• social interaction
• connecting with the wider community
• safety net
• scale, and
• thinking ahead.

Each of these includes case studies of the facilities and initiatives visited and identifies the main learning points for the UK.

In conclusion the research demonstrates that there is a range of different forms of ‘housing with care’ which either avoid or delay the need for long term institutional care. There is some evidence of better outcomes for residents, and many of the facilities are cost-effective and could be replicated in the UK.