Informal carers: the backbone of long-term care Budapest, February 22nd 2010 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
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Who cares? Relationship between the carer and the care recipient in percentage Greece (2004) Portugal (1990s) Spain (2004) 2001 Czech Republic (2001) Sweden (2000) Germany (2002) 1998 Netherlands (2001) Israel (2006) United Kingdom (2000) 1995 USA (2004) Slovakia (2007/08) Austria (2002) 1998 France (1999) Ireland (2000) Luxemburg (2002) Finland (2002) Hungary (2001) 0 20 40 60 80 100% Child Partner Other Comparison year where available Source: OECD (2005); National Sources for Israel and the Slovak Republic; EUROFAMCARE National Background and National Survey Reports: http://www.uke.de/extern/eurofamcare/.
Labour of love Family help as a percentage of help to people aged 75+ by country and domain, 2000/2001 Source: EUROFAMCARE National Background Reports (2004) 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 Background 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) 3$4'-# 5%-.*'-0# 6/-%,'201# $+7'$"#.%#$+&'# 2$%0'8# 8#$$/$%9%:"&(.%;<=% Source: UNDESA/Population Division (2005), Eurostat 2001 Census data. Source: Karagiannaki (2005) 8#/0$+7'#%$4'-# 9%/.*'-0# 6/-%,'201#:2$;'+.# $'11#204#$'11#1%<#
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 (2007), 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 coresidents 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?
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A mid-life Occupation Providing care for older family members by country and age group Source: OECD (2005), EUROFAMCARE National Background 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 Background 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
What about attendance allowances? Amounts of attendance allowances in percentage of net wage of APW and its beneficiaries (2007 or most recent date) Source: Facts and Figures on Long-term care: Europe and North America (2009)
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Demographics bound to change picture Support ratio : number of women aged 45-64 for each 80 year-old (2006 or 2005) Source: Eurostat! Gender mainstreaming in policies (or lack of)! Conciliating support for carers and employment policies
The demographic future of CARERs has already started older and more often male =&'-2>'#2>'#%?#)2-'-1# 80 60 40 20 0 Poland Greece Sweden Source: EUROFAMCARE National Background 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 rodrigues@euro.centre.org
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