One in five older people will become resident in care homes and they are likely to be experiencing higher rates of mental illness than those older people who live in the community. Our approach needs to become more systematic and evidence based and this book aims to fill a gap in the market.

Multi-author books by definition do not have the same coherence as single-author books; however, they allow for very different views on the same topic to be collected together. The editors have commissioned a diverse group of authors to approach this subject and the chapters are arranged into four subject areas.

The individual chapters are generally well written and cover topics ranging from a resident's view of living in a care home to an international perspective on long-term care. The clinical chapters on physical health, depression and dementia give good, concise accounts of their topics. There are chapters with an academic focus such as that reviewing the research evidence on how individuals with dementia view their own care. Space is also given to those with a non-academic background. In one chapter, a carer offers his own views on the prescription of antipsychotic medication: ‘I can only wonder yet again how many of these professional dispensers of wisdom have ever had to cope with care’, referring to those who oppose the use of antipsychotic drugs for patients with dementia.

Readers will dip in and out of the book as it is not something that many will read in one go. It provides a reliable source of material and an entry point into the wider literature. Who will benefit from reading this? Those who work in and run care homes and of course clinicians who work there. Carers who want to find out more about the care system, what the rules governing homes are and what treatments and therapies are available will also find a lot of relevant information. This volume gives an excellent overview of an important topic and is recommended reading for old age psychiatrists from higher trainees upwards.