Abstract
THIS article will review relationships between policy, practice, and research in social care and health services for older people in the United Kingdom over the past 25 years. First, it is important to acknowledge that these relationships are played out in a wider context of social and economic change within which there are enduring, as well as more transient, issues that impact on attempts to change, or implement, policy or practice. Before turning to the more detailed policy history, I will briefly explore the bigger picture and set out a general perspective on relationships between research, policy, and practice.