Into the House of Old

Book excerpt: 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.