The problems of introducing change in long-term care settings for elderly people are discussed in relation to social, psychological and organisational factors operating within the institution. It is argued that the poor maintenance and generalisation of many behavioural interventions is in part due to researchers adopting too narrow a framework. Four issues are discussed and illustrated: 1. The role of the researcher in relation to care staff. 2. Relationships with elderly patients. 3. Change as criticism. 4. Conflicting policies within the institution.

The ordinary housing in which most old people live is a subject of growing concern in many countries. The idea of ‘staying put’ which has emerged recently in the UK from this growing concern is thus timely for it focuses specifically on housing assistance for elderly people who remain in conventional domestic housing. This paper attempts to identify a number of cross-national trends which suggest the relevance of ‘staying put’ to other countries, and presents a detailed study of the factors shaping the development of such policy in the UK. The present legislative framework for ‘staying put’, and the extent to which it is exploited are also discussed.

To the existing ways of categorizing elderly individuals we here add a reasonably objective approach using recent survey data and statistical methods of multivariate analysis. The groupings obtained have been surprisingly clear-cut, so that simple rules can be devised for discriminating between clusters. We suggest this analysis as a useful way of gleaning information about elderly people, information which may help in the efficient allocation of services.

This report, using the ‘Facts on Ageing Quiz’ developed by Erdman Palmore as a measure, compares responses from US (N=206) and Japan (N=591) samples, thus adding a cross cultural dimension to the literature on age bias measurement. The scale taps for ‘facts’ and indirectly obtains evaluations of stereotypes and attitudes. The data indicate the FAQ is a reliable measure but the validity of the measure's age bias dimension is more complex than previously indicated. Contrary to normative expectations, the Japanese responses indicate a negative age bias that has implications for social norms which affect Japan's elderly.