The ageing of populations across the world poses a crucial challenge for the twenty-first century. Society faces three major changes: firstly, increasing numbers of active older people demanding new social structures and oppor- nities; secondly, increasing numbers of frail or disabled older people requiring new interventions and improved health and social care with resulting economic consequences; and finally complex economic, technological, organisational and social challenges involved in the ageing of society. If society wants to benefit from these changes, innovative social, organisational and technological responses are needed. This book presents the findings of the Care Keys project¿¿Keys for Quality Performance Management of the Care of Older Persons in Europe¿¿and is an example of how research can respond to the challenges outlined above. Care Keys was the fruit of European Union research funding, made possible under the Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources specific programme 1 (1998¿2002) under the EC¿s Fifth Framework Programme for Research, Te- nological Development and Demonstration. The activity promoting such research was Key Action 6 on the ¿Ageing Population and their Disabilities¿.

This book examines the relationship between quality of care and quality of life of frail older persons who are dependent on external support and care. Quality of life in old age has become a key issue within gerontology and health and social care research. The book specifically addresses this issue by developing a new concept of "care-related quality of life." The book addresses key issues by providing theoretical and methodological perspectives on the problem area, together with chapters based on original empirical research. The research was financed by the EU, and it involved studies in Finland, Estonia, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. This book contributes to the ongoing discussion on the concept of quality of life, and theories and methods for studying it. The book also aims to give a new stimulus to the study of the effectiveness and efficiency of care, and to encourage further research on the topic of care-related quality of life.

Research Framework.- The General Framework and Methods of the Care Keys Research.- Instrumentation of the Care Keys Research.- Care Keys Data and Statistical Methods.- Theoretical Results.- The Concept of Care-Related Quality of Life.- The Concept of Quality of Long-Term Care.- Quality Management in Long-Term Care.- Empirical Results.- Subjective Quality of Life of Care-Dependent Older People in Five European Union Countries.- Quality of Life of Older Homecare Clients.- Quality of Life in Institutional Care.- Quality of Life and Dementia.- The Target Efficiency of Care-Models and Analyses.- Quality Management and the Care Keys Quality Matrix.- The Care Keys Toolkit.- Summary.- Care-Related Quality of Life: An Overview.