Care of the elderly should be based in the private sector

I read Professor Castledine's column 'Stricter control needed over private nursing homes' (Vol 2(20): 1031) and would like to elaborate on some of the rather controversial statements he made. 'Offloading' the care of the elderly onto the private sector is one of the best initiatives made for this long neglected sector of the population - politically, socially and psychologically. Long-term care in sterile hospital wards is not the place for anyone to live out their final years. Institutionalization evolves here and indeed is maintained in the hospital sector, timeless routines continue to be scheduled and patients slot in where convenient. Wards are functional, not homely, and the residents are still labelled as patients and treated accordingly.