Foisted upon the government? : state responsibilities, family obligations, and the care of the dependent aged in late nineteenth-century Ontario / Edgar-Andre Montigny.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Montigny, Edgar-André.

Series:

McGill-Queen's/Hannah Institute studies in the history of medicine, health, and society ; 6.

McGill-Queen's/Hannah Institute studies in the history of medicine, health, and society ; 6

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Older people--Government policy--Ontario--History--19th century.

Older people.

Older people--Home care--Government policy--Ontario--History--19th century.

Older people--Ontario--Social conditions.

Physical Description:

xii, 220 p. : ill.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Montreal : McGill-Queen's University Press, c1997.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

While government officials in the 1890s claimed that forcing families to take responsibility for caring for the aged was in the interest of the elderly, Edgar-André Montigny reveals that government policy had more to with saving money than a desire to serve the aged. He provides a harsh critique of Ontario government policies toward the elderly and their families at the end of the nineteenth century and highlights similarities between what happened in the 1890s and current policy reforms in the area of long-term care. Montigny argues that government played a central role in determining how society viewed the elderly and family obligations to them. Using census data, municipal records, and institutional case files, he demonstrates that the government created and promoted an image of the aged population that bore little resemblance to reality and manipulated the concept of family obligations to justify policies to reduce social welfare costs. The effect of these policies, passed in the name of helping the elderly and their families, was almost universally negative. By dispelling the myths that continue to influence public policy concerning the aged, Montigny provides a useful warning of the negative consequences of policies that are enacted to cut costs rather than to serve the population they are supposed to help.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Figures and Tables

Preface

Introduction

Population Aging, Old-Age Dependency, and Public Policy in Historical Perspective

Home and Family: A Demographic Profile of the Aged in Nineteenth-Century Ontario: Brockville, 1851–1901

Dependency, Employment, and Need among Ontario’s Aged: Perception and Reality

Families, Neighbours, and Communities: Local Support Systems for the Aged Poor in Nineteenth-Century Ontario

Government Policy towards the Dependent Aged in Ontario: Institutions and the Ideal Family

Institutions and the Impact of Public Policy on the Aged: The Elderly Patients of Rockwood Asylum, 1866–1906

Long-Term-Care Reform and Family Obligations in Ontario in the 1990s

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references: p. [195]-215 and index.

ISBN:

1-282-85453-4

9786612854538

0-7735-6663-5