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The Long Term Impact of Staying Put

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

Sheila Mackintosh
Affiliation:
School for Advanced Urban Studies, University of Bristol, Rodney Lodge, Grange Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4EA.

Abstract

Staying Put projects provide practical help to older home owners with the repair and improvement of their homes. A number of studies have examined the immediate impact of this help on the housing conditions experienced by older people and on their ability to remain living independently in the community, but the extent to which these benefits could last for a long period of time was not known. This paper describes the findings of a study which attempted to examine the longer-term impact of the Staying Put service. A sample of clients helped by Staying Put in the early 1980s were traced and interviewed in order to assess the impact of the assistance received and to examine their current and future housing and care needs. Although the study could not conclusively disentangle the impact of the Staying Put service from other factors influencing the ability of clients to live independently, it concluded that the help received was significant in improving housing conditions over a long period. The study made recommendations which aim to increase the effectiveness of Staying Put projects in the future, including the establishment of a target standard for the housing conditions of clients, the development of mechanisms for continuing contact with clients, and the provision of advice on moving on options where appropriate. More generally, however, the study concluded that more resources to fund services like Staying Put were required from government and from local and health authorities if they were to be more effective in helping clients to live independently.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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