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Institutional Care for the Elderly in the 19th Century: Old People in The Hague and their Institutions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

Willem Jan Van Der Veen
Affiliation:
Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI), Postbus 11650, Lange Houtstraat 19, 2502 AR's-Gravenhage, The Netherlands.
Frans Van Poppel
Affiliation:
Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI), Postbus 11650, Lange Houtstraat 19, 2502 AR's-Gravenhage, The Netherlands.

Abstract

This study focuses on the residents of three ecclesiastical homes for the elderly in The Hague in the i9th century. These homes took in poor members of the church who were at least 60 years old. Most of the elderly who resided in these homes had received poor relief before their admission. The main reason for their decision to request admission to a home was that they were no longer able to run a household independently. Most of the residents were well past the age of 60 upon entering the home, women generally being a few years older than men. There were no significant gender differences in duration of residence. The female age at death was a few years higher than for males. The health of the residents appeared to be worse than that of the total elderly population of The Hague, resulting in a higher death rate. In general, residents had independently run a household prior to admission.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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