Community response to social need : a study of the dependent aged in Canberra

Abstract

In Australia, the care of the aged has traditionally been a family responsibility with the State providing only back stop services in the form of old mens' homes, asylums and State hospitals. The twentieth century has seen major changes in the quality of services for the aged and subtle alterations in social attitudes. Demographic changes have made the over sixties a significant section of the population of Western societies, and increased affluence and urbanization have brought along with them a redefinition of their rights and status in society. Show more