Shrinkage in the home. The future of informal care for the elderly.

Anita Peters

May 2011

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Trend study family care for the elderly

Motive for this study

– Demographic changes

• Aging of the population

• Decrease in birth statistics

– Changing family compositions: ‘Shrinkage in the home’

– Change in policy

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Dutch statistics

• Total population over 16 million

• 3,5 million family carers (2008)

• 20% population provide family care >3 months

and/or >8 hours a week

• Increase intensive family care: >3 months & >8

hours a week. 2001: 300.000, 2008: 450.000 Source: SCP (Dutch Institute for social research) 2010

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Ageing population

2020 rapid increase of ageing

population

2030 ageing population reaches

its peak

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Shrinkage in the home

• Patchwork families

• Fewer children

• Increase in geographic distance between

family members

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Policy

• Increasing pressure on work participation

• From welfare state to participation society

– How flexible is family care?

– Future balance in supply and demand?

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Solutions to be found for a sustainable informal care system

• To be addressed by elderly themselves– Different forms of accommodation

– Purchasing care

• Bridging geographic distances– through social media

– extended care technology (domotica)

• Personnel policy that supports informal care

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Notes for debate: do you have an opinion? Attend the workshop!

• In western Europe elderly are sufficiently wealthy to purchase supplementary care from care workers beyond the national borders. This is economically beneficial for these citizens from other countries and therefore a positive development.  

• Elderly and their carers need to embrace the increased  possibilities of technology, domotica and social media. It solves the problems of care giving at geographical distance and provides more efficient ways to offer care.

• We need to  appeal more strongly to older people's ability for self-management in care.  Older people have been pampered by the old welfare state but this regime is no longer affordable.  

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Trendstudy

• Website for rapport http://www.movisie.nl/informalcare

• Contact?– Email A.Peters@movisie.nl or j.elferink@movisie.nl