Improving the quality of life for older adults living in long term care settings is recognised as an increasingly important issue."Understanding Care Homes" draws together a range of research and development initiatives that emphasise the importance of partnership working, and of enabling older people and their families to maintain the highest quality of life. The book is divided into three sections, each investigating how research and development can be undertaken to provide better care for the individual resident and their family, to enhance care at the organisational level and to develop the care home's relationships within the wider community. By addressing the concerns of residents and their families as well as those of carers and home managers, this book identifies how the generation of new knowledge through research can bring about real changes in care provision.This collection of papers will be an invaluable resource for students, care staff, care home managers, inspectors, lecturers and policy makers.