Challenges in Long-term Care in Europe

Résumé du livre

In most countries, LTC for the elderly is not a distinct social policy field. LTC provisions in many countries are indeed characterised by a fragmentation of responsibilities and consequently a lack of integration between health and social aspects of LTC provision. LTC is typically funded from different sources and organised at different - horizontal and vertical - levels. The health system is responsible for the care provided by health professionals, while services related to supporting the care-dependent person in the activities of daily life are usually organised by the social sector. Only some countries organise their system in a way which integrates health and social care horizontally (e.g. DK, IE, PT). In most countries, this horizontal split between the health and social sectors is accompanied by a vertical division of responsibilities, with powers attributed at different institutional levels: national, regional and local (e.g. AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, EE, EL, ES, FR, HR, HU, IT, LI, LT, LV, MK, NO, PL, RO, SI, UK).