Huge dormitory-style homes for the elderly are now a thing of the past, because occupants and their relatives were no longer prepared to accept them. Gradually, increasing emphasis was placed on the quality of life in homes for senior citizens. Today's homes represent the fourth generation in this development and are geared to concepts which improve the situation of older people.

Up until the late 1960s, dormitory-style rooms, occupied by up to twelve people, were the accepted standard. Later came the trend to single rooms, but these were often located in large, unattractive buildings, frequently with up to 300 beds, and the focus was on making work for the staff as easy as possible, with procedures similar to these in hospitals.

Everything was as streamlined as possible, for instance with meals for everyone all being served at the same time: breakfast at 7 a.m. lunch at midday, supper at 5 p.m. Not much thought was given to what the occupants did during the rest of the day. Often, the motto of the operators was: fill them up and keep the place clean. Then came the 1990s and some notable improvements, with the trend to smaller establishments with a maximum of 120 beds, and to residences which were also architecturally impressive.