'Much more to Life than Services' challenges everyone to think about what they want out of life, what they would want out of life if disability, illness or frailty caused them to become very dependent upon the support and care of others, and what sort of a society they want to live in and what they could contribute to making their vision come true. It calls for more attention to be given to the nurture of democracy, personal responsibility, mutuality, and interdependence and debunks the commonly held misconception that institutions and services can or should be seen as a comprehensive solution to human needs and aspirations. It, through the career experience of the author, tells the story of an insidious transfer of power from citizens and their associations to professionals and institutions and the damaging consequences of often well-meaning but perverse social policies. Above all, 'Much More to Life than Services' celebrates the gifts and talents of people and the assets that are abundant in us all and our communities. It proposes that we adopt a mindset that builds on these gifts. The core objective of the book is to provide a person and community centred perspective on the real opportunities that can be grasped if contemporary initiatives in the UK around personalisation, self-direction and individualised funding in social care are addressed from a gifts rather than needs and deficiencies perspective. It is replete with stories that illustrate these themes. It brims with questions. It seeks to offer assistance to 'self-directors', ideas and challenges to policy makers, and observations about leadership to those who are called to lead services. It asks readers to think and reflect. It suggests a new beginning. It is a polemic - not an academic treatise. It addresses us all. We are striving to live in a democracy. A democracy is a politics that gives us the freedom to create our vision and the power to make that vision come true. We strive to be citizens-people with the vision and the power to create our own way, a culture of community capacity, connection and care - Our institutions can only offer service-not care. We cannot purchase care. Care is the freely given commitment from the heart of one to another. - Professor John McKnight Bob is one of those rare individuals who truly seeks to help others make a difference. - Ian Chakravorty, Go MAD Thinking