Restructuring Social Care in Italy

The Burden of Caring for Dependent Older People and the Resultant Risk of Depression in Family Primary Caregivers in Italy

“…On the basis of these considerations, the question we asked in our study was whether and at what extent Italian caregivers, within the familistic system described above, feel supported both by formal services and by informal actors, such as family, friends, and others, and if their perception of being or not being supported affects their state of mental health, thus adding a piece of information still missing in the familistic welfare system panorama, declared by many to be in crisis and disconnected from the real needs of those concerned [7][8][9]. We also want to explore if the perception of the received support is different in the two main groups of caregivers, that is, spouses and children.…”

“…The role of informal caregiving has become so important in Italy that it has become a specific characteristic of the national Long-Term Care (LTC) system, defined as a "familistic care regime". Indeed, in this country, informal care, even supported by paid migrant care workers (MCWs), is the main pillar of care [7,8]). These aspects, as well as the fact that Italy is the oldest country in Europe (with 23.2% of its population aged 65 or over in 2020; EU average: 20.6%), are the main reasons why the present study is focused on the Italian context, where it is interesting to analyze the presence and the correlates of depressive symptoms in family caregivers of dependent older people, considering that the bulk of care for older persons in this country is provided by families.…”