work-force to pay for them. Today Matthew Taylor looks at rest homes of the future and profiles 66-year-old Cliff Looby, who refuses to let his age weigh him down.

Tomorrow: Can the elderly be conned out of their homes? State of the art rest homes to care for sprightly seniors and those needing round-the-clock care have been promised by Health Minister Nelson Bascome.

Seniors can also look forward to an old people's department with the Government on the verge of choosing a Hamilton location.

And Mr. Bascome is backing recommendations from consultants Arthur Andersen for pensioners to get free glasses, chiropodist care and hearing aids.

Mr. Bascome has put laws in place to ensure standards in nursing homes and rest homes.

He says: "Most private rest homes are up to scratch. Government facilities will have some work to do to bring them up to scratch. Homes which provide care will have to have individuals who are qualified to provide it.

"My Ministry...went to Atlanta to look at different types of care, going from assisted living to extended living to individual living.

"In the US they have a lot of properties that provide all of the care under one roof. For instance they will have a unit catering for clients with Alzheimer's and at another level you would have a unit for those totally able to get around, so you would have access to gardens.

"In these facilities they have dining areas that look more like restaurants.

They are more pleasant and not institutionalised.

"You walk in and you feel you are at home. Joined to this would be another facility for independent living for seniors who still used cars and so could go about on their own.

Bascome promises new era for rest homes "So you can come in as a sprightly senior but remain in the same home if your condition got worse.'' He said the St. George's Rest Home could be converted into such a building.

"That's all on the board right now,'' he said, adding that the Government, the Parish Council and the Chief Medical Officer were discussing it.

"Once the standard is set you would want to make sure it's maintained.

Important in planning this will be the results of the new census -- finding out how many seniors we have and what their living conditions are and how we can provide for them in the future.

"This is integral to our plans.'' Old age advocate Sir John Plowman said the new style homes had been a big hit abroad.

"I've seen these homes in Australia, the States and Canada. They are absolutely first class. They are equipped so when seniors need help they can get it immediately.

"There are central facilities with nurses and meals prepared but it means people can stay in their own accommodation much longer. Most people don't want to move into a retirement home. But with this type of housing you don't go in thinking you are on your last road now. People look forward to it.

"My sister in Australia was very sensible. She had a very nice home and when she said she was moving we were surprised.

"But in her new place she had a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom.

Everywhere she sat there was a button to call help if needed.

"They had social activities, they played bridge and saw films. You can pick up group's social activities when you want to or you can have visitors.

"She knew if she needed a nurse she would just have to press a button and somebody would be right there.

"She was there for many happy years. That's the sort of thing we want to develop here.

Mr. Bascome said glasses, chiropodist care and hearing aids could be made free for seniors.

He said: "It makes it more equitable for those patients. It will allow our elderly persons to have better access and it will allow them to use those funds to buy other things they need.'' Mr. Bascome said Government was zeroing in on a site for a one-stop shop for seniors.

He said: "We are well on our way to developing an Office of Ageing that will be in a central location for our seniors to get information, and have access to financial assistance.

"We have two options in Hamilton in mind -- both are government property. We are just waiting for Works and Engineering to assess the feasibility and we will move in.'' And the Minister said he was keen to follow up on a recommendation from the International Year of the Older Person committee for emergency response systems to be installed in the homes of seniors.

He said: "That's a great recommendation. In our visit to Atlanta we looked at systems. If someone's in trouble they can contact a neighbour or someone to assist.'' Nelson Bascome: Hamilton drop-in centre for seniors in the works