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The outdoor mobility and leisure activities of older people in five European countries
- Authors:
- GAGLIARDI Christina, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 27(5), September 2007, pp.683-700.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Many gerontological studies have dealt with the leisure activities of older people and they have generated many important theories. Although outdoor activities and mobility promote good health in old age, both decrease with increasing age as people lose physical and mental functions. This paper examines the outdoor and indoor leisure activities of 3,950 older adults and their variations by personal and environmental characteristics in Germany, Finland, Hungary, The Netherlands and Italy. The main dimensions of activity were established by factor analysis, and in all countries four factors were found: home activities, hobbies, social activities, and sports activities. Both similar and distinctive pursuits characterised each dimension among the five countries. ‘Home activities’ mainly comprised indoor activities, but the other three dimensions involved more physical mobility. The scores of various socio-environmental characteristics on the factors enabled the attributes of the participants to be profiled. Sports activities and hobbies were performed more often by younger men, by those with good physical functioning and by those who drove cars. Social activities were performed more by women and those who used public transport. Home activities were more frequently performed by those with low physical function and women.
From subsidiarity to ‘free choice’: child- and elder-care policy reforms in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands
- Author:
- MOREL Nathalie
- Journal article citation:
- Social Policy and Administration, 41(6), December 2007, pp.618-637.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article analyses the patterns of reform in care policies in Bismarckian welfare systems since the early 1980s. Based on a comparison of France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, the article shows that these reforms share similar logics and trajectories, which can be explained by the shared conservative and corporatist traits of Bismarckian labour markets and welfare state institutions and their impact on labour market adjustment possibilities and preferences. Indeed, we argue that care policy reforms have been very closely linked to specific employment strategies, and the politics of welfare without work and subsequent attempts to shift away from such a labour-shedding strategy go a long way in explaining both the nature and the timing of child- and elder-care policy reforms in Bismarckian welfare systems. The article also shows how a focus on promoting ‘free choice’ in all four countries has justified the introduction of measures that have simultaneously reinforced social stratification in terms of access to the labour market – meaning that some women have much more ‘free choice’ than others – and weakened certain labour market rigidities. To conclude, we argue that care policy reforms have provided a backdoor for the introduction of labour-cheapening measures and for increasing employment flexibility in otherwise very rigid labour markets.
Home care for ageing populations: a comparative analysis of domiciliary care in Denmark, the United States and Germany
- Authors:
- DOYLE Martha, TIMONEN Virpi
- Publisher:
- Edward Elgar
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 154p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Cheltenham
At a time when the desire to “age in place” has emerged as a rallying cry among elderly and disabled adults and their advocates, this book provides an important new analysis of the ways in which three countries are facing the challenge of assuring the adequacy and quality of in-home care. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources, the book examines the ways in which home care is organized, financed, and delivered in Denmark, Germany, and the United States, countries that represent three different types of long-term care systems.
Improving equity and sustainability in UK funding for long-term care: lessons from Germany
- Author:
- GLENDINNING Caroline
- Journal article citation:
- Social Policy and Society, 6(3), July 2007, pp.411-422.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This paper argues for a transformation of arrangements for accessing and allocating public resources for long-term care in the UK. Currently these arrangements are fragmented, inequitable and not always well targeted. Different arrangements exist in Scotland and England; Wales has also debated the introduction of free personal care. While not necessarily advocating a social insurance approach, the experience of Germany nevertheless shows how simplicity, transparency and equity of access can be combined with strong cost control levers and political sustainability. An opportunity to transform ways of accessing and distributing public resources for long-term care arises with the piloting of ‘individual budgets’ in 13 English local authorities from 2006. The paper argues that the principles underpinning individual budgets should be extended, with the UK government taking a strong national lead.
Governing home care: a cross-national comparison
- Authors:
- BURAU Viola, THEOBALD Hildegard, BLANK Robert H.
- Publisher:
- Edward Elgar
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 224p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Cheltenham
This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the principle issues surrounding the governance of home care. In this context home care is taken to mean any care and support offered to older people in their homes. The analysis maps out governing arrangements in relation to formal and informal care services, informal care, care workers and users of care across nine countries: Estonia; New Zealand; Italy; the United Kingdom; Sweden; Japan; Germany; the Netherlands; the United States. The authors explore the ways in which country specific contexts shape governing arrangements and bring together insights form social care and public policy literature.