Professional territories and the fragmented landscape of elderly care

This paper examines the problems and dilemmas involved in delivering care to older people. In particular it seeks to identify the processes that facilitate or hinder communication and collaboration between those involved in care that has to be both reliable and expeditious to ensure that high quality care is provided. To do this the paper draws on a recent international systematic review of the relevant research literature which is briefly described. A geographical analogy is employed to help map different organisational and professional territories of care. It will be argued that these territories have their own priorities, patterns of working and perceptions of older people. The paper concludes by considering a potential way to merge territorial interests by reconfiguring the map of care around the older person.