Evaluation of a nursing aides scheme for elderly people

The need to provide appropriate domiciliary schemes to enable elderly people to remain in the community is of growing importance and while schemes have been initiated by health authorities, the majority of schemes have so far originated in social services departments. An evaluation of a nursing aides scheme is presented. The study examines the success of the scheme in maintaining elderly people in the community and the views and opinions of patients who have been in the scheme. On the basis of the available evidence it is likely that the intervention of the scheme enabled some elderly people to remain in the community and the majority (70%) of respondents believed that the nursing aides scheme had enabled them to stay at home.