A new form of measure is presented for assessing not only self esteem but also subjectively perceived sources of self esteem in elderly people. Such instruments have been developed for use both in the Netherlands and in England, using seven categories of sources of self esteem. First results have demonstrated their validity and potential application. The Dutch studies carried out so far have highlighted changes in level of self esteem in Dutch old people moving into homes for the elderly and the importance of the homes themselves as sources of self esteem. The English studies have shown differences in sources of self esteem in elderly people living in ordinary housing, residential homes and special sheltered housing. It is concluded that such instruments could play an important role in studies of individual adaptation to ageing and in the evaluation of different types of welfare provision.

Based on an ethnographic study of an old age home in Israel, this essay presents an analysis of how religious activity is used as part of a survival strategy by elderly residents in an institution for the well-aged. The study describes the symbolic manipulation of religious symbols and the social meaning of religion in an old age home in terms of four behavioural levels: (a) the synagogue members and their study groups; (b) the rabbi's lack of identification with his congregants; (c) the relationship to the non-religious management of the home; and (d) the differentiation of categories of residents in terms of ‘proper functioning’. Religion in this context is thus seen as an important social resource used in interactions with the social structure of the institution.

Despite the important role played by cost considerations in policy decisions regarding services for the elderly there has been relatively little reliable research on this topic. A large nationally representative survey of old people's homes conducted by the Personal Social Services Research Unit in England and Wales in 1981 provides a firm foundation for the careful examination of the cost of residential care. Focusing on residential homes in the public sector, the cost function analyses reported in this paper have a number of policy implications. The empirical results help to explain cost inflation and allow the prediction of future cost trends, they inform ‘balance of care’ discussions and inter-authority and inter-sectoral comparisons, and they provide evidence on the cost implications of scale, group-living design, day care and sheltered housing. Finally, the relationship between cost and social environment (a central component in any quality of care assessment) is examined. The results suggest that there is no significant association between the two.

This article is principally concerned with the measurement and evaluation of the cost of the time which families devote to the care of handicapped elderly relatives living with them. One way of measuring the contribution is by means of time diaries which document the amount of time given to caring activities throughout the 24 hours of the day. How this was done in a small pilot study, carried out in Oxfordshire, England, is described. It is preceded by a brief general discussion of some of the factors which determine time use and by a description of the empirical findings from a few of the existing surveys. Some broad estimates of the indirect financial costs involved are offered, including an estimate using a different approach based on the loss of opportunity suffered by women who are prevented from undertaking paid work.