There was once a time where mental health issues such as loneliness and dementia among those in later life were simply seen as part of the aging process. However, in recent years we’ve seen a gradual shift in attitudes: now, both the mental wellbeing of the older generation and their physical wellbeing are being treated as paramount. This is especially important in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic, which has recently made the news for having a devastating impact in some care homes, but we’re seeing big steps being taken in the retirement sector to keep the mind fit and healthy, as well as the body, as we get older. This shift in attitudes is most clearly reflected in the evolution of our care homes and retirement housing, which are now a far cry from the bleak, unhospitable nursing homes that were, until fairly recently, accepted as the norm.
In order to trace just how far our care homes have come, we’ll need to go back to the workhouse system that really evolved during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries: these workhouses were places for the elderly, the infirm and the unemployed, and they ‘earned their keep’ by doing menial labor whilst living alongside hundreds of others. Conditions here were often very poor, and they were officially abolished in 1930, but they were an early example of state-provided care for the older generation. However, it was the Second World War and the introduction of the NHS that would really pave the way for improvement. In 1948 the National Assistance Act placed a duty on local authorities to provide residential accommodation for those in need of care due to age, infirmity or other reasons, and private care providers started to increase in the latter half of the 20th century, too.
Denne historien er fra June 2020-utgaven av Somerset Life.
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Denne historien er fra June 2020-utgaven av Somerset Life.
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Up on the Down
Try this easy-to-follow Exmoor walk with SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE
Shop until you drop
It’s Somerset’s county town, it’s the place to go for the big shops, but Taunton is also home to a thriving independent scene, discovers CATHERINE COURTENAY
Creatures of the night
Have you ever had something swoop past your ear, almost unseen? You may have had a brief encounter with a bat, says BERNARD BALE
Bowled over
Now that we can return to skittle and bowling alleys - albeit with new rules BERNARD BALE reveals that the sport of bowling has many Somerset links
Trackway through time
In the Somerset Levels SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE discovers a place where our Neolithic heritage rubs shoulders with the present day
SAVING THE SPLENDOUR OF EXMOOR
The splendour of Exmoor National Park may appear timeless and untroubled, but a new book reveals the long and often bitter struggle conservationists faced to save the landscape from the twin threats of afforestation and the plough
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Charity starts at home
How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?
Blooming brilliant
Will and Lauren Holley purchased a four-acre field in Somerset, converted it into a nursery, opened during lockdown and now their perennial plants are flying off the shelves. JULIE HARDING meets the go-getting couple
Age-old advice
Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role