This paper aims to look at lesser‐known approaches to working with older people which challenge current assumptions about older people and approaches to providing care, suggesting that they lay on a continuum of support services, which stretches from traditional, paid‐by‐the‐hour, professional/client transactions at one end, to unboundaried, unpaid family care at the other.
The paper looks at Shared Lives, ASA Lincolnshire's At Home Day Resource for people with dementia, Homeshare, KeyRing and micro‐enterprises.
Through combining the value of real relationships with more formal support approaches, better outcomes can be achieved at lower costs.
With the gap between the capacity of existing services and the needs of an ageing population growing daily, this paper provides additional research and development in this area of work.
