Care in the latter years

Approximately 6% of the over-65s in the Netherlands live in an institution. In absolute terms, there are around 100,000 older persons living in residential care homes and some 65,000 in nursing homes. This publication offers an insight into the health status and use of care of older residents of these institutions in the period 2000-2008. Has their health status and thus the care intensity changed now that older persons are increasingly living at home for longer? How satisfied are care and nursing home residents with the care they receive? The findings are based on responses obtained from residents themselves or, if it was not possible to interview them personally, from members of their families.This study of older persons living in institutions was carried out by the Netherlands Institute for Social Research/SCP at the request of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Mirjam de Klerk is a member of the Care research group at SCP. She carries out research on the life situation and social position of people with disabilities and on the older population. She was project leader of the first national evaluation of the Dutch Social Support Act (Wmo). She has also published on the use of care services and the provision of informal care.