Valuing and Integrating Informal Care as a Core Component of Long-Term Care for Older People: A Comparison of Recent Developments in Italy and Spain |
| |
Authors: | Georgia Casanova Giovanni Lamura Andrea Principi |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Research Fellows, Center for Socioeconomic Research on Aging, INRCA–National Institute of Health &2. Science on Aging, Ancona, Italy;3. Head of Center, Social Gerontologist, Center for Socioeconomic Research on Aging, INRCA—National Institute of Health & |
| |
Abstract: | The international long-term care (LTC) debate has recently been focusing on how to strengthen home care provision. In this regard, a major role has been played by informal care and how to best integrate it in a holistic care approach. Italy and Spain, usually labeled as “familialist” or “family-based” care models, have been promoting national reforms or actions to support the integration of “informal” actors into the overall LTC system. Through a comparative review of recent trends observed in the two care regimes, this article aims at contributing to improve our cross-national understanding of how LTC is changing across Europe, identifying the basic approaches adopted in Italy and Spain and highlighting both their strengths and drawbacks. |
| |
Keywords: | Informal care Italy long-term care Spain |
|
|