UK—(ENEWSPF)–13 March 2014 . In what’s thought to be the biggest review of academic literature into whether home care visits provide benefits for the elderly, researchers conclude there is ‘no consistent evidence’ to show they lead to the elderly living longer or having more independent lives than those without any visits. Researchers from University College London (UCL) and the University of Oxford analysed 64 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), mainly in the United States, Canada and the UK. They say that they cannot rule out the possibility that some programmes involving home care visits may be effective, but neither is there significant evidence of benefit. In the journal, PLOS ONE, the authors conclude therefore that they cannot support government policies that make home care visits widely available to the elderly.
