There are currently almost half a million older people living in residential and nursing homes in the UK today (Care Quality Commission, 2010).

The Relatives & Residents Association is a national charity which exists for the benefit of older people in residential care, as well as their families and friends left behind at home.

We support people by giving them the information they need to make confident and informed choices – whether about selecting a care home, paying for care, adjusting to being in care, or complaining about the quality of care they, or a relative or friend, are receiving.

We also speak out on behalf of a sector which, very often, is unable to speak out for itself. We do this by lobbying those who possess the authority to make changes.

We relay powerful and potent messages and push hard to ensure that standards, for vulnerable older people in care, are continually being monitored and improved.