The authors of this timely book set out to answer this pressing question and offer an explanation as to what makes older people give up their homes. Residential care homes provide accommodation for over 300,000 older people in the UK, the majority of whom are in their mid eighties. More than a quarter of the population over eighty five live in institutional settings, most of them in residential care homes. This book offers readers a comprehensive review of the history of residential care, current provision, current practice and an analysis of its future role