Homes for the Elderly and Sociological Meaning

Abstract

Every institution is a reflection of the Society that has created it. This means that the analysis of homes for the elderly is an in-depth study of the sociological significance of age in our Society. This article situates homes for the elderly in their historical and ideological origins as institutions for supervision and care, presenting the evolution of these centres in the context of Catalonia and Barcelona and emphasizing three characteristics: their urban nature (although this is not exclusive); and the signifcant number of women in these homes. Finally, a further study is made of the context of these homes in terms of social control o the «total institution» type and its repercussions on the lives of elderly people, offering alternatives to this situation.