by Peter Townsend
Lecturer in Social Administration at the London School of Economics
The home, not the institution, is today becoming the place where society cares for the chronic sick, the mentally ill, parentless children, and the very old. Mr. Townsend first considers the reasons for this change, then criticises the institution for creating artificial communities and ignoring the importance of family relationships between the three generations. He argues that in an advanced and increasingly prosperous society few institutions, apart from certain hospitals, are indeed necessary.