[Institutional care for the aged in the 2d half of the 19th century. A case study].

This study focuses on the residents of three ecclesiastical homes for the elderly in 19th century. The Hague. These homes took in poor members of the church who were at least 60 years old. Most of the elderly who resided in these homes had received poor relief prior to admission. The main reason to request admission was that they were no longer able to independently run a household. Most of the residents were well past the age of 60 upon entering the home, women generally being a few years older than men. There were no significant gender differences in duration of residence. The female age at death was a few years higher than for males. The health of the residents appeared to be worse than that of the total elderly population of The Hague, resulting in a higher death rate. In general, residents had independently run a household prior to admission.