In 2012, three architectural competitions were held as part of the strategic programme ‘Living Well, Growing Old’, launched by the Swedish government in 2010. The intention was to use the innovative quality of the architectural competition in order to conceive future-oriented built environments for the ageing Swedish society. In Sweden, several architectural competitions with a focus on space for dependent and frail older people have been organised over the past century. Architectural design has been incorporated into reforms for social care of older people. This study focuses on the relationship between architecture and socio-political visions in three architectural competitions, realised in 1907, 1948 and 1979. The study demonstrates that architectural competitions within this field are more than a list of functional and spatial requirements for architects to respect. Instead, they are socio-political statements that define spatial frameworks within an ideological view on how ethically to provide care for dependent and frail older people in a welfare regime.

The active participation and autonomy of older people living in residential homes is considered to be problematic. However, in our action research project conducted in a Dutch residential care organisation we found ways to enhance residents' direct participation. This form of participation is grounded in deliberative and participatory approaches to democracy. In this article we describe how a group of seven residents (all female), calling themselves ‘The Taste Buddies’, developed a joint vision on how meals could be improved. The facilitation of this process enhanced this group's empowerment, building interpersonal trust, social identity and joint purpose. We will take the reader through this process and discuss the developments of these older women against the background of relational empowerment. We argue that resident participation as partnership with employees and managers starts with relational empowerment among residents themselves (enclave deliberation). This process is non-linear and requires time and constructive facilitation.

In the UK, older people who are resident in care homes because of their needs for social support and personal care receive their health care from primary health care. Although there is increasing input from district nurses in care homes (Audit Commission, 1999), there is little knowledge or recognition of the primary care nursing contribution. This paper reviews two types of research literature: studies that consider the health care needs of older people in residential care homes that could inform nursing support and interventions in care homes, and research that describes the nursing involvement with these settings. The paper argues that on the basis of the research reviewed many of the health problems older people in care homes experience could be avoided or improved by primary care nursing support and intervention. A reassessment is needed of how the interface between community and residential care is managed so that older people in care homes have access to appropriate health care support.

Homelessness includes a wide range of people, from those living on the street (strictly homeless) to people living temporarily with relatives or friends because they have lost their home. Programes for the homeless should design strategies aimed at encouraging insertion processes, thus considering the different dimensions involved. Within this framework Caritas delivers an array of assistance services for the homeless facing the stages of insertion. In Spain there are 315 centres offering meals for 20 000 people, most of them along with other services such as reception, residential premises or day-care centres. Caritas is responsible for 42% of them. Overall, it is easier to get a lunch than any other meal during the day, followed by dinner, while it is difficult to get a breakfast.

Social dining rooms are valuable places for a first contact (first stage of the insertion process) and even to start the second stage (personal recovery).

This paper explores some of the experiences of older people living in residential settings (sheltered, very sheltered housing and residential care), in the context of theories of participation, consumerism and citizenship. It draws on material from personal interviews undertaken with over 100 older people in England and Wales, and also from discussions with staff. Two-thirds of respondents were aged over 85. A significant minority of residents expressed some concerns about the routines of life, such as meals and social contact. Staff expectations of social participation were often unrealistic: for many residents, social contact was more a matter of adjustment than of friendship. Residents did not participate in deciding how the residential settings where they lived should be organised and managed, except for helping with simple domestic tasks. There is a need to change both attitudes and practice to enable older people to participate more fully in these settings.