Social and health services have a vital role for older people, especially dependent older people who cannot live full lives without support. In some countries, social services may have a legal duty to protect older people and to provide appropriate care, upholding values of respect and dignity.

Local public social services (often part of local authorities), under the leadership of a social director, have a number of important duties. They assess the changing needs of the community over time and plan care services to meet those needs. They work with a range of social and health care providers and with service users and their families to put in place home-care, day-care centres, residential and nursing homes. In so doing, they have to allocate resources carefully in agreement with local political leadership and decide on service users’ contributions to the cost of care.

Within a national or regional policy framework, social directors help shape the care older people can receive. The local authority social worker, who is often the first point of contact for an older person and their family, will advise them about the range of services available in the local area and help put in place services to meet individual need.