Abstract
After the implementation of a participatory multi-level programme on active ageing, that has led to the first Plan of Action in this field by the Italian government, a similar initiative has been recently undertaken to promote more comprehensive policies to support informal carers of older people with LTC needs. While active ageing is a relatively new policy field, LTC represents a more well-established sector of political action, but in Italy the regionalisation of care competencies has led to strong regional inequalities and a resistance by regional authorities to State interference. The dramatic impact of the pandemic has radically questioned the validity of this approach and an advanced proposal to reform the system is currently being discussed. This paper will reconstruct the state of art of Italy’s regional policies for informal carers of dependent older people with LTC needs, via a secondary data analysis, expert interviews and a bottom-up consultation of main stakeholders involved in the current design of the nation-wide LTC reform. These policies will be analysed in the light of the main European recommendations on this topic. Starting from an analysis of regional differences in informal care policies, key elements are highlighted to be compared with the main international recommendations. The strengths and weaknesses of Italian policies are highlighted in order to provide indications on which regional authorities could work to improve the condition of informal caregivers and to increase the quality of informal care, also combating inequalities between caregivers living in different areas of the country.
Presenters
Cristina CalviResearcher, INRCA IRCCS, Ancona, Italy Federico Sofritti
Research Collaborator, Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing (CRESI), INRCA-IRCCS National Institute of Health & Sciences on Ageing,, Agrigento, Italy Giovanni Lamura
Researcher, INRCA (IRCCS) - National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing Georgia Casanova
Researcher, Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing, INRCA (IRCCS) - National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing, Ancona, Italy
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Ensuring Quality Long-Term Care
KEYWORDS
Caregiving, LTC, Policies, Italy
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