Developing appropriate responses to an ageing population is recognized by policy makers throughout the developed world as a top priority, as is the vital contribution made by family caregivers. However, cultural, demographic and organizational differences between countries have encouraged diverse patterns of response to this common challenge. This book provides a systematic cross-cultural analysis of contemporary patterns and future trends in all major countries of the European Union. Additional interest is provided by including Poland emerging from the post- Communist block as the country at the forefront for joining the European Union. The book should be useful to European policy makers and academies involved in studying the health and social care needs of older people and the capacity, contribution and needs of family caregivers who provide care to older people. The book is also relevant for policy makers and researchers in other countries, mostly in North America and Australia who wish to study European approaches to supporting older people and family caregivers.
"his book presents the main results of the European research project EUROFAMCARE. It provides an overview of the current situation of family carers of older people in six European countries in relation to the availability, use and acceptability of support services. The presented findings aim at aiding policy and decision-makers to understand the critical importance of family carers now and in the coming decades to improve their situation and to encourage them in their invaluable work of caring.
As the population of all European countries ages rapidly, understanding the phenomenon of ageing and social responses to old age has become a vital contemporary issue. The diverse ways in which old age is seen across Europe are compared and different forms of care for the needs of older people are examined. With the demise of large institutions, and increasing demands on families and on domiciliary care, the question of inter-generational relations is seen as a key element in the future of old age. It is argued that much is to be learned from cross-national comparisons in developing social responses to old age.
This report provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of care services for older people in Slovenia with emphasis on family care. There are numerous services intended for old people in the country, some more, others less accessible and developed, yet almost no support is given to family carers, who still provide the bulk of care to elderly. Recent socio-political developments in the country give hope that the situation and the position of family carers will improve to better.
Drawing on interdisciplinary, cross-national perspectives, this open access book contributes to the development of a coherent scientific discourse on social exclusion of older people. The book considers five domains of exclusion (services; economic; social relations; civic and socio-cultural; and community and spatial domains), with three chapters dedicated to analysing different dimensions of each exclusion domain. The book also examines the interrelationships between different forms of exclusion, and how outcomes and processes of different kinds of exclusion can be related to one another. In doing so, major cross-cutting themes, such as rights and identity, inclusive service infrastructures, and displacement of marginalised older adult groups, are considered. Finally, in a series of chapters written by international policy stakeholders and policy researchers, the book analyses key policies relevant to social exclusion and older people, including debates linked to sustainable development, EU policy and social rights, welfare and pensions systems, and planning and development. The book’s approach helps to illuminate the comprehensive multidimensionality of social exclusion, and provides insight into the relative nature of disadvantage in later life. With 77 contributors working across 28 nations, the book presents a forward-looking research agenda for social exclusion amongst older people, and will be an important resource for students, researchers and policy stakeholders working on ageing.
Demographic, epidemiological, social and cultural trends in European countries are changing the traditional patterns of care. The next decades will see rising numbers of care-dependent older people and noncommunicable diseases as the leading cause of chronic illness and disability. Further, urbanization and the break-up of the traditional large family group will lead to gaps in the care of older or disabled family members. These changes in needs and social structure require a different approach to policy and services in the health and social sectors; a disease-oriented approach alone is no longer appropriate. Home care could be an answer to these issues: a sustainable approach to prevent the need for unnecessary acute or long-term institutionalization and to maintain people in their homes and communities as long as possible. Along with new forms of service delivery organization, technological innovation can represent a viable solution to developing home care in Europe, provided that health care systems can further enhance integration and coordination. This publication is part of the work of the WHO Regional Office for Europe to present evidence for health policy- and decision-makers in a clear and understandable form. It explains why health and social services should provide high-quality and targeted home care for disabled and older people. It provides evidence for the effectiveness of home care, shows how it can be improved, and explains the need to ensure equitable access. The publication also explores the varied cultural and care contexts in different countries, and reveals how to educate professionals and the public about these issues. This booklet seeks to broaden awareness, stimulate debate and promote action.
"This engaging collection gathers theoretical and empirical insights from leading family policy experts. The authors - representing diverse countries, disciplines, and methods - bring to life the volume's innovative conceptual framework, which is organized around policy institutions, both public and private. The volume closes with a call for new lines of research that should inform family policy scholars for years to come."--Janet Gornick, Professor of Political Science and Sociology, and Director of the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, USA "Featuring exciting contributors from a range of often-siloed scholarly disciplines, countries and cultures, this Handbook offers nuanced insights into how interacting societal inequality factors influence family policy enactment to reinforce or improve inequality outcomes across gender, class, and nations. It is ambitious, broad-reaching, and succeeds in providing a strategic view within and across nations to inspire thoughtful evidence-based policy implications to improve societies in the future."--Ellen Ernst Kossek, Basil S. Turner Professor of Management, Purdue University, USA This open access handbook provides a multilevel view on family policies, combining insights on family policy outcomes at different levels of policymaking: supra-national organizations, national states, sub-national or regional levels, and finally smaller organizations and employers. At each of these levels, a multidisciplinary group of expert scholars assess policies and their implementation, such as child income support, childcare services, parental leave, and leave to provide care to frail and elderly family members. The chapters evaluate their impact in improving children's development and equal opportunities, promoting gender equality, regulating fertility, productivity and economic inequality, and take an intersectional perspective related to gender, class, and family diversity. The editors conclude by presenting a new research agenda based on five major challenges pertaining to the levels of policy implementation (in particular globalization and decentralization), austerity and marketization, inequality, changing family relations, and welfare states adapting to women's empowered roles
Long-term care is an increasingly important issue in many contemporary welfare states around the globe given ageing populations. This ground-breaking book provides detailed case studies of 11 EU-member states’ welfare regimes within Europe to show how welfare states organize, structures and deliver long-term care and whether there is a social investment perspective in the delivery of long-term care. This perspective is important because the effect of demographic transitions is often used as an argument for the existence of economic pressure on welfare states and a need for either direct retrenchment or attempts to reduce welfare state spending. The book’s chapters will look specifically into how different welfare states have focussed on long-term care in recent years and what type of changes have taken place with regard to ageing populations and ambitions to curb increases in public sector spending in this area. They describe the development in long-term care for the elderly after the financial crisis and also discuss the boundaries between state and civil society in the different welfare states' approaches to the delivery of care.
In the field of ageing there is a wide range of services available for the elderly, but hardly any direct support for caring family carers. Nevertheless, the majority of care for the elderly is provided by family members, especially women (wives and daughters). As a result, caring for the elderly often brings additional costs for the family. This publication presents the legal status and social situation of family carers in Portugal, explains the range of services available for the elderly and their family carers and points out some challenges for the future developments.
It is essential for social work students to know about social policy, to know why studying social policy is important in the social work degree, and to understand how social policy, when implemented, has a real impact on the everyday life of vulnerable people. This book provides plenty of examples of this impact, tracing the development of welfare provision for older people right through the twentieth century, leading up to an analysis of contemporary developments, which students will need to know about in order to practice effectively.
