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Elderly people

Much like the rest of Europe, the German population is ageing. In an effort to find positive responses to ageing societies, EU member states are continuously developing new socio-political concepts and instruments, for instance in the field of care for the elderly: from national dementia strategies to the provision of support services for families and the elderly at the local level. Additionally, and in light of the role of family carers, measures for reconciling work and care have been taking an important position on the political agenda of EU countries.

Counselling services for (working) family carers in Austria and Switzerland

In Austria and Switzerland, the largest proportion of people in need of care are supported and cared for at home by (caring) relatives – an often exhausting task that has increased in intensity due to the coronavirus pandemic and at times many closed support services. Many family carers find it difficult to distance themselves or ask for help when they are overwhelmed by the situation. Therefore, good counselling structures are needed to support caring relatives in a preventive way, but also in an overload situation, to organise their own lives – also alongside employment and childcare – and to organise informal care well.

An overview by the Observatory produced in July 2021 (not published) shows that there are a variety of information and counselling services for family carers in both countries. Counselling structures that support reconciliation can be found increasingly in Switzerland. One explanation for this could be that the need is higher in Switzerland, as the proportion of working carers is considerably higher than in Austria. However, the majority of counselling services for family carers focus on the care (situation), disability or illness as the trigger for the need for counselling.

Social aspects of the UN Agenda 2030

Elderly people are explicitly mentioned in seven of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the sense of the commitment "leave no one behind". This is shown by brief research of the Observatory on the social aspects of the UN Agenda 2030 in March 2021. However, within the national sustainability strategies of the EU Member States for the implementation of the UN Agenda 2030, concrete targets and indicators in the field of policies for elderly people are mostly missing. In some cases, data systems are used for policy decisions that exclude people outside the age group 15-64. Among other reasons, this is due to a poor data situation regarding older and very old people.
Civil society organisations and older people's interest groups appeal: Sustainable development should also be shaped in the context of population ageing and demographic change, and elderly people, in particular, should be given greater attention in all areas. An important organisation in this field is the Stakeholder Group on Ageing (SGA). It brings together global and national stakeholders for elderly people and is part of the "Major Groups and Other Stakeholders" that accompany the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda.

Reconciliation of Elderly Care and Work

More and more people are working and at the same time looking after children or relatives in need of care. How do policies support these people to handle this double burden? The Observatory takes up this question and conducts comprehensive research on the issue.

Cross-border cooperation to safeguard services of general interest

As a result of the effects of demographic change, the safeguarding of services of general interest faces challenges in many German regions. Local authorities are tasked with developing solutions to these challenges and with adapting local structures to current and future circumstances. Cross-border cooperation is one way of tackling these challenges together with municipalities and regions in neighbouring countries. The Observatory examines the opportunities, potential disadvantages, forms, obstacles and success factors of cross-border cooperation for border regions.

Volunteering in Hospice and Palliative Care

Demographic developments in Europe pose challenges to hospice and palliative care, especially with regards to an increasing number of people to be accompanied. Volunteering, therefore, plays an important role in hospice and palliative care. Against this background, a working paper discusses i.a. the following questions: What does the organisation and coordination of volunteering in hospice and palliative care in France and Poland look like? What are the tasks of volunteers? How are they trained? And how can volunteers be recruited and tied to their volunteering work in the future?

Family Carers

80 percent of care in Europe is provided by informal caregivers. Family carers are especially reliant on information and counselling on care issues. Furthermore, they should have access to information about their rights as carers advice and support for family carers can positively contribute to their own health and can prevent them from becoming overburdened. The expertise “Young Carers – Support measures in Austria, the United Kingdom and Ireland” shows furthermore that many children and adolescents are caregivers who would be highly benefited from support and advice.

Migration of Care Workers from the Visegrád-States

Given the importance of migration for the sustainability of formal healthcare provision, this paper examines the main migration trends from the new EU Member States to Germany in the healthcare sector. It also sheds light on how the need for healthcare services in selected regions of Eastern Europe is likely to evolve and discusses the key factors responsible for intra-European migration in the healthcare sector.

Dementia

The risk of falling ill to dementia increases rapidly with age. An increase in such diseases can be expected due to rising life expectancies and the associated rise in the number of very old people: experts assume that the number of people with dementia across the world could triple by 2050. Dementia will become a great challenge facing health and social services in Europe. To address this, among other things, numerous European countries have developed specific national dementia strategies to deal with social and political issues and the consequences for health.
Furthermore, the topic "Avoiding elder abuse in the home care of people with dementia“ was the focus of an expert meeting organized by the Observatory and the question of prevention and intervention measures in other European countries.