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Reducing inequalities by investing in health-promoting care
- Author:
- EUROHEALTHNET
- Publisher:
- EuroHealthNet
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 5
- Place of publication:
- Brussels
The problem: Our care systems are not equipped to deal with increasing demand for care, and offer unequal access to formal care. Why it matters: Our current systems often worsen inequalities faced by those who provide and those who need care, and might not be able to provide care for all who need it in the future. The way forward: New 'health-promoting' models of care use resources more effectively by promoting health and wellbeing of those receiving and giving care. This briefing suggests services should: be person-centred and align with a person's values and preferences; optimise functional ability; be accessible in the community; provide integrated services in a continuum; include services that empower the person; emphasise support for carers and care workers. 'Health Promoting Care Models' can contribute to a reduction in poverty, social exclusion, and loneliness, in turn improving an individual's health and wellbeing. In doing so, they also contribute to sustainable economic growth. As they enable informed carers, older people and those living with chronic illness or disabilities to become more socially engaged and economically active, 'Health Promoting Care Models', pave the way towards an Economy of Wellbeing. (Edited publisher abstract)
COVID-19 and older people: impact on their lives, support and care
- Authors:
- DUBOIS Hans, et al
- Publisher:
- European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 92
- Place of publication:
- Luxembourg
This report captures the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the quality of life of older citizens, including the impact on their well-being, finances, employment and social inclusion. It explores the effects on the use of care services and older people's reliance on other support. The report presents policy measures that have been implemented in EU Member States to support older people along all of the above-mentioned dimensions. These include measures to support independent living and schemes to support the labour market integration of older people or to prevent unemployment, all of which play a role in the quality of life of older citizens. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social contacts decreased in all age groups in the EU; mental health deteriorated for people of all ages during the pandemic, but affected young people and the 80+ age group most severely; both decreases and increases in income were less common among older people, for whom pensions proved to be a stable source of income - however, pandemic-related expenditure, such as spending on private transport and care services, caused financial difficulties, especially for low-income groups; during the pandemic, the likelihood of reduced physical activity increased with age; low-tech e-healthcare (by phone) facilitated access to healthcare during COVID-19, however, many older people still preferred face-to-face consultations and almost half of users aged 50+ who opted to use e-healthcare reported that it did not fully meet their needs. (Edited publisher abstract)
Older migrants’ access to healthcare: a thematic synthesis
- Authors:
- ARORA Sanjana, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Migration Health and Social Care, 14(4), 2018, pp.425-438.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to synthesise data from the existent literature on the experiences of non-western older migrants in Europe in accessing and using healthcare services. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 1,606 records were reviewed and 12 studies were selected. A thematic synthesis using Thomas and Harden’s approach was conducted. Findings: The findings resulted in the three overarching themes: traditional discourses under new circumstances; predisposed vulnerabilities of older migrants and the healthcare system; and the conceptualization of health and the roles of healthcare professionals. The authors found that older migrants’ experience of accessing healthcare is influenced by many factors, such as health literacy, differences in healthcare beliefs and language barriers, and is not limited to cultural and traditional discourses of care. Findings reveal that there is a limited body of knowledge on barriers experienced by older migrant women. Research limitations/implications: The geographical scope of the study and subsequent type of healthcare systems should be taken into account while understanding barriers to care. Another limitation is that although the authors studied different migrant groups, the authors synthesised barriers experienced by all. Future research could study migrants as separate groups to better understand how previous experiences with healthcare in their home country and specific social, cultural and economic circumstances shape them. Originality/value: This paper provides a synthesis of the experiences of migrants from non-western countries who moved to a host country with a very different language, culture and healthcare system. (Edited publisher abstract)
Predictors of the availability and variety of social care services for older adults: comparison of Central European countries
- Authors:
- LEHMANN Stepanka, HAVLIKOVA Jana
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Service Research, 41(1), 2015, pp.113-132.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The ageing of the European population represents a challenge for the current systems of social care services and in particular for the availability of individualised formal social care for older people. This article looks at 8 Central European countries and explores the contextual factors that boost or inhibit the development of these services, identifies the most important among them, and describes the specific contexts that are conducive to the development of social care services for older adults. Qualitative and quantitative data from Eurostat and the international project Housing and Home Care for the Elderly and Vulnerable People and Local Partnership Strategies in Central European Cities were analysed using multidimensional scaling and multiple correspondence analysis. The results indicate that the availability and variety of social care services are above all linked to economic indicators, the age structure of the population, and un/employment rates. Moreover, the contextual factors tend to have a combined influence on the social care system. These findings imply that before restructuring the systems of social care services, local governments should take into consideration the simultaneous effect of multiple factors. However, the exploratory results of this study need to be verified in a larger number of diverse countries. (Edited publisher abstract)
Family carers' experiences using support services in Europe: empirical evidence from the EUROFAMCARE study
- Authors:
- LAMURA Giovanni, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 48(6), December 2008, pp.752-771.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This article explores the experiences of family carers of older people in using support services in six European countries: Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the UK. Following a common protocol, data were collected from national samples of approximately 1,000 family carers per country and clustered into comparable subgroups to facilitate cross-national analysis. Carers' use of available support services is limited across Europe but is considerably higher in Germany, Sweden, and the UK than in Poland, Greece, and Italy. Service use is more prevalent among wives and carers with stronger support networks and less frequent among working daughters with high levels of burden, suggesting the need for a reconsideration of eligibility criteria and better targeting of service responses. Access to and use of services is characterized by a divide between carers in northwestern Europe, who experience few difficulties other than the older person's refusal to accept the support offered, and carers in southeastern Europe, where service affordability and poor transportation present remarkable barriers. Concerns regarding the timeliness and quality of support are common to all countries. European Union-wide efforts to improve carer support need to focus on improving the care system's ability to provide timely, high-quality care delivered by staff who treat the older person with dignity and respect, and to enhance cooperation between health professionals (in all countries), informal networks (especially in southeastern Europe), social services (particularly in Sweden and the UK), and voluntary organizations (in Germany and the UK).
Older people 'on the edge' in the countrysides of Europe
- Author:
- GIARCHI George Giacinto
- Journal article citation:
- Social Policy and Administration, 40(6), December 2006, pp.705-721.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Relatively few comparative studies have focused specifically upon the socio-economic conditions affecting the welfare of older rural Europeans. Such publications as exist are usually confined to single studies. In presenting a European overview of their 'life-world' this paper focuses upon the general conditions of older rural Europeans, living in different types of countryside within a centre–periphery framework. These conditions are largely dependent upon the interconnectivity (nexus) between regional urban centres and the older people's types of settlement. The extent of the global socio-economic flows between urban centres and countrysides is critical, especially for those living in less accessible and remote European areas. Older people's positive and negative outcomes are seen to occur within four possible urban–rural parameters. The first consists of two-way socio-economic urban–rural flows that are more likely to be of benefit to significant numbers of older persons, especially in urban fringe and accessible countrysides. The second parameter arises when there is a long-standing impasse, where the lack of communication between the rural locality and urban centre hampers socio-economic urban–rural flows, isolating older people, particularly in less accessible and remote countrysides. The third occurs when regional and local urban centres block or cut back socio-economic flows to the countryside. The fourth takes place when the rural communities resist socio-economic urban flows that they regard as a threat to their rural idyll. Exemplars within each of the four urban–rural alternatives help to show the applicability and workability of this four-way exploratory approach.
The time to care about care: responding to changing attitudes, expectations and preferences on long-term care in Europe
- Authors:
- ILINCA Stefania, SIMMONS Cassandra
- Publisher:
- InCARE
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 14
- Place of publication:
- Vienna
Fifteen years after the Special Eurobarometer 283 on Health and long-term care in the European Union, the results of the cross-national InCARE survey bring to light significant changes in the attitudes, expectations and long-term care experiences of Europeans. As momentum for reform is building both at national and European level, we find the policy discourse has not kept up with dynamic preferences and attitudes towards care, especially among younger cohorts. Overwhelming support for increasing the role of the State in long-term care organization, provision and financing and shifting the burden of care away from families and individuals, is improperly reflected in current policies. What is more, a failure to do so is negatively affecting trust in care systems, as well as increasing the reliance on informal carers at the detriment of their health and wellbeing. Since 2007, the ability of care systems to adequately address evolving care needs has declined: residential care is unaffordable for many, and the supply of community-based services is falling considerably behind a rising demand. Rural communities and poorer individuals bear the brunt of growing capacity gaps, while women are disproportionately affected by the burden of frequent, intensive and undesired informal caregiving spells. A reorientation towards person-centered, participatory, equitable and accessible care models is urgently needed to rebuild declining public trust in the ability of care systems to respond to the preferences and expectations of individuals and communities. (Edited publisher abstract)
From disability rights towards a rights-based approach to long-term care in Europe: building an index of rights-based policies for older people
- Authors:
- BIRTHA Magdi, et al
- Publisher:
- European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research
- Publication year:
- 2019
- Pagination:
- 70
- Place of publication:
- Vienna
Countries across Europe, and indeed around the world, are confronting the social, economic and political challenges of an ageing population. Among the most pressing of these challenges, is securing adequate and sustainable long-term care and support for older people. There is growing consensus that long-term care services should look beyond a medical model of ‘care’. Instead, they should take a broader, more holistic view in which older people’s well-being and quality of life and their preferences regarding care and support are central to the design of services in line with existing human rights standards. Building on the achievements of the disability rights discourse, a conceptual framework for a human rights-based approach to care and support for older persons was developed as part of this project. Furthermore, two tools that can contribute to monitoring policies and their outcomes for older people in Europe were also created: the Rights of Older People Index (ROPI) and the Scoreboard on Outcome Indicators. Together, the ROPI and the Scoreboard contribute to fill an important gap, as multi-dimensional tools to monitor the situation of older people with care and support needs, based on a human-rights approach. They highlight gaps in legislation and the implementation of policies, as well as gaps in data. The report presents the results of the ROPI and the Scoreboard in 12 European countries. (Edited publisher abstract)
Dementia matters ethnic concerns
- Authors:
- MIRZA Naheed, PATEL Naina
- Publisher:
- Policy Research Institute on Ageing and Ethnicity
- Publication year:
- 2000
- Pagination:
- 47p. Video.
- Place of publication:
- Bradford
Presents the problems facing people from ethnic minorities with dementia in four countries: UK, Netherlands, Spain, and Finland. In all countries there is an unmet need for information, knowledge of the disease and how to access care and support. There are also cultural taboos and meanings associated with dementia which are difficult to dispel.