Abstract
This paper presents the preliminary findings of a national project aimed to promote more comprehensive policies to support informal carers of older people with long-term care (LTC) needs in Italy. The Italian context is characterised by a regionalisation of care competencies that leads to strong regional inequalities. The study is underway and relies on participatory approaches: a network of institutional and civil society stakeholders has been activated since the beginning of the study. The aims are two: providing a state-of-the-art of Italian regional policies for informal carers of frail older people; stimulating future policy initiatives in the domain. The paper presents some preliminary findings by means of: 1- the analysis of secondary data, grey material and interviews with representatives of regional authorities; 2- the evaluation of regional policies on the background of international recommendations on informal caregiving. Findings are discussed in two ways: from a national perspective, drawing on an analysis of regional differences in informal care, key aspects will be compared with the international recommendations. Strengths and weaknesses of Italian policies will then be highlighted, so that to indicate the gaps on which regional authorities should work to support informal carers. From an international perspective, the Italian experience will be discussed by focusing on his innovative power related to future national and international LTC strategies. In this respect, the study aims to provide key background for the development of participatory research to be carried out within other national contexts.
Presenters
Georgia CasanovaResearcher, Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing, INRCA (IRCCS) - National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing, Ancona, Italy Giovanni Lamura
Researcher, INRCA (IRCCS) - National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing Cristina Calvi
Researcher, INRCA IRCCS, Ancona, Italy Federico Sofritti
Researcher, Economics and Law, University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Public Policy and Public Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Informal Care, Older People, Long-Term Care, Participatory Methodologies
