- Reconciliation of Elderly Care and Work
- Cross-border cooperation to safeguard services of general interest
- Volunteering in Hospice and Palliative Care
- Family Carers
- Migration of Care Workers from the Visegrád-States
- Avoiding Elder Abuse in the Home Care of People with Dementia
- Dementia Strategies
- Eldercare Services
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.
Reconciliation of Elderly Care and Work
More and more people work and at the same time care for their relatives. How do policies support these people to handle this double burden? The Observatory takes up this question and conducts comprehensive research on the issue. A European Expert Meeting addressed this topic. The research focuses on leave and financial support for family caregivers.
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 health-care provision this paper examines the main migration trends from the new EU Member States to Germany in the health-care sector. It also sheds light on how the need for health-care services in selected regions of Eastern Europe is likely to evolve and discusses the key factors responsible for intra-European migration in the health-care sector.
Avoiding Elder Abuse in the Home Care of People with Dementia
People with dementia are especially vulnerable to suffer from elder abuse. Violence and abuse by family caregivers is often a sign of a lack of knowledge about the disease or of a physical and mental overload. A European Expert Meeting therefore discussed the following questions: How can caring relatives be informed, supported and unburdened? How can signs of violence, mistreatment and abuse be recognised and effectively prevented without stigmatizing?
Dementia Strategies
How do European countries respond to the increasing numbers of people suffering from dementia? In many countries, dementia strategies set the framework for these challenges. Our publications discuss the commonalities and differences of dementia strategies as well as favourable conditions for their implementation.
Eldercare Services
How can European countries organize eldercare services in order to guarantee the provision of high quality services? How can the service provision be both universal and affordable at the same time? The Observatory’s publications discuss these questions and show different policy frameworks across Europe.-
2013Who Cares for You at Home? Personal and Household Services in EuropePolicy Paper No. 71, Institut zur Zukunft der Arbeit (IZA)