ABSTRACT
The adoption of a networked approach pointed to a number of issues that needed to be considered in developing a methodological framework through which the aims of the research could be explored, highlighting the inter-linkages between the conceptual and methodological frameworks. A networked approach also directs the study to the need for anchorage, that is, a window through which to examine change as experienced within the network. Attention is also drawn to the need to define the boundedness of the network. Emphasis on the identification of a 'spatial patterning' of health related issues has, in the past, led to a predominance of quantitative methodology in medical geography. As noted, to examine change as experienced within the voluntary sector, the study used both questionnaires and in-depth semi-structured interviews. In intensive approaches, the researcher is often unable to control the sampling process. The private sector is also a key player in the process of restructuring community-based care for the frail elderly.
