Dependency levels of elderly people in institutional care in Dunedin.

All elderly people in long term institutional care in the Dunedin area were assessed using a rating scale which assessed self-care, continence, mental function and social integration. Religious and welfare organisations that provide a comprehensive service and the private sector, cared for a higher proportion of medium and high dependency residents in their residential homes, than did religious and welfare organisations which provided residential home care alone. The reasons for this are discussed. Local authority homes in the UK were shown to have a considerably higher proportion of medium and high dependency subjects than residential homes in Dunedin. Of all subjects in residential homes and long term hospitals in Dunedin, 38% were essentially independent in the parameters assessed. There is a real need to explore alternative forms of institutional care and alternative forms of subsidy for those elderly in New Zealand who require care.