Summary - Older persons in nursing and care homes

Original title: Ouderen in verpleeghuizen en verzorgingshuizen

For centuries, there have been institutions where the most vulnerable and oldest members of society could go for shelter, food and care. In modern Dutch society, these institutions take the form of nursing and residential care homes. However, this is a sector where a great deal has changed in recent years. Many care homes have closed, and those that remain are merging with nursing homes. In addition, Dutch government policy is aimed at enabling older persons to continue living independently in their own home for as long as possible. Partly as a result of this, nowadays it is primarily those with the greatest care needs who are cared for in institutions facilities.

In ‘Older persons in nursing and care homes’ we look at the older population of nursing and care homes and investigate a number of key aspects of their life situation. The data used for this study were collected between April 2015 and April 2016. The questions addressed in this study are: Why did residents of nursing and care homes move to the institution? What is their health status? How often do they still have contact with their friends and family? Do they receive assistance from them with daily activities, in addition to that which they receive from professionals?
This report presents a general picture of all residential nursing and care homes in the Netherlands. The report Happy in a nursing home? (Gelukkig in een verpleeghuis?) investigates the experiences and opinions of residents with regards to the quality of their lives and the care they receive. The data for this report were collected by means of interviews with residents who were capable of answering the questions personally.