Survey evidence on the living conditions of older people has a long and
creditable history in Britain. Booth's work alerted policy makers to the often
dire circumstances of older people, and accounts of their housing, diet,
domestic arrangements and general quality of life stiffened resolve to ensure an
adequate minimum standard of living in old age. At the start of what has been
termed the welfare state, there were two important studies of old age in the
works of Rowntree and Sheldon. In their depiction of the lives of independent
elderly people, they provided a useful mid-century benchmark on progress.The question of income and support infrastructure recurs over the decades
and, in many ways, these concerns are central to the question of adequate diets
with implications for health and wellbeing. The possibility, or otherwise, of
being able to afford, buy and prepare food which is of appropriate nutritional
and social quality, is fundamental to an independent life in old age. Using food
as a focus for review, this article maps what has been said about the
circumstances of independent elderly people and what has been done to
support them in the community. It is concluded that while considerable
progress has been made over the century, their relative position remains
problematic. This is especially the case for those living on their own in old age
and with a reliance on the basic state pension.
Cough Peak Flow of Independent Elderly People
