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Care dependency policies in a European perspective – Selected Issues. Bratislava, December 3rd 2009. Manfred Huber, Ricardo Rodrigues, Frédérique Hoffmann, Katrin Gasior and Bernd Marin. Portrait of Informal Carers Challenges to avoid future Care Gaps
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Care dependency policies in a European perspective – Selected Issues Bratislava, December 3rd 2009 Manfred Huber, Ricardo Rodrigues, Frédérique Hoffmann, Katrin Gasior and Bernd Marin
Portrait of Informal Carers Challenges to avoid future Care Gaps Further Research & Preliminary Conclusions
More than 80% of all care is provided by family carers By choice? By love? By constraint? By opportunity?
Who cares? Relationship between the carer and the care recipient in percentage Source: OECD (2005); National Sources for Israel and the Slovak Republic; EUROFAMCARE national reports (2004).
Labour of love Family help as a percentage of help to people aged 75+ by country and domain, 2000/2001 Source: EUROFAMCARE and national sources.
Other types of help • In Russia financial support ‘is the most widespread form of help that older parents receive from their adult children (Kholostova, 2002 p.16). • Help in running a farm as a subsistence means is also more widespread in Eastern Europe
It‘s a Woman‘s World Family carers by gender and country Regardless of „care regimes“ Source: National sources, OECD (2005) and EUROFAMCARE national reports.
Carers: United in Diversity Percentage of the population aged 15+ providing informal care to a relative aged 60+ (1999) Intimacy at a distance in the North Sharing roof and care in the South Source: Own calculations based on Walker (1999).
Loneliness in very old-age... Living arrangements for older people, by gender (based on 2001 Census data) Older Northern Europeans likely to live alone… Greece – Total 65+ Source: Karagiannaki (2005) … unlike older Southern Europeans (albeit less and less so) Source: UNDESA/Population Division (2005), Eurostat 2001 Census data.
What Children Want Older people want to age in place but... Question 7a: If your elderly parent lives alone and needs long-term care, what in your opinion would be the best option? Source: Eurobarometer (2008), question: 7a.
Overburdened Carers? EUROBAROMETER (2007): In your opinion, do dependent older people rely too much on their relatives? Lack of care services… Providing care to co-residents… Heavy care… … explaining carers’ burden? Source: EUROBAROMETER (2007)
Full-time carers are likely to experience some degree of isolation and/or psychological distress (depression, anxiety…) • Countries from the NMS who feel they should take care of the elderly themselves also report high levels of over-reliance
Ageing Carers • They could endanger their own physical & mental health: In Italy 10% of care is provided by the 80+ • In Kyrgyz Rep. with high levels of emigration, older people are carers of their grandchildren...is this also a pattern for other ‘donor’ countries?
Challenges to avoid future ‘care gaps’
A mid-life Occupation Providing care for older family members by country and age group Source: OECD (2005), EUROFAMCARE national reports.
Age group with the largest share of informal carers is the 45-64 year olds • This group is also being courted through the Lisbon Agenda to remain longer in the labour market...particularly women.
Reconciliation of care and paid work • Employment status of main carers by country and domain Source: National sources, EUROFAMCARE national reports, Lamura et al. (2006).
Across the EU on average just over 40% of informal carers were in gainful employment • Many caregivers end their professional career (50% in the NL) or reduce their hours of work as a result of caring.
Advantages of remaining in paid work • Income and pension rights • Helps to maintain social networks • Offers a temporary relief from caring role • Enhances self-esteem • Offers the opportunity to share concerns with colleagues in a similar situation • But…financial help to family carers varies among countries
Demographics bound to change picture “Support ratio”: number of women aged 45-64 for each 80 year-old (2006 or 2005) • Gender mainstreaming in policies (or lack of) • Conciliating support for carers and employment policies Source: Eurostat
The demographic future of CARERs has already started – older and more often male Average age of carers Source: EUROFAMCARE national reports (2004).
The migrant carer to compensate for family care • 15-20% of all Italians needing long-term care are cared for by “badanti” – migrant, mostly female carers from Ukraine, Romania... • Austria has ‘legalised’ the so-called 24-hours care both in terms of labour law and in terms of nursing legislation • Support and integration of migrant carers
Thought-provoking questions • Ageing of carers: will (healthier) 65+ spouses take over from their daughters and daughters-in-law? • Reconciliation of work and care duties…reconciliation of employment policies and support for care • Who will take care of the elderly living in the donor countries?
Further information European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research Berggasse 17 | A-1090 Vienna www.euro.centre.org E-Mail: hoffmann@euro.centre.org