Solidarity in Italy's policies towards the frail elderly: a value at stake

Abstract

The Italian public policies towards the frail elderly are underdeveloped by both quantitative and qualitative standards. The bulk of care responsibilities lies on the family and the private provision of paid care is flourishing. The last decade was characterised by significant signs of improvement – an increase in the public resources committed to long‐term care and the rising interest of politicians and scholars towards this issue – but the situation is still highly critical. In such a context several questions on solidarity arise regarding the degree to which this value is actually embedded in the public policies, what are the most relevant issues and how the main actors involved are concerned. The article aims to answer some of these questions, taking into consideration the points of view of the main actors: elderly people, carers and professionals. In doing so, the article discusses the targets of the public services, differences in their provision across the country, the rise of the care allowance and the private provision of paid care. The article shows the problems regarding solidarity in the Italian policies towards the frail elderly and sets an agenda of issues to deal with in the next decade. How policy‐makers will be able to manage these issues will determine whether and how the value of solidarity will shape Italy's long‐term care policies in the future.

Compressing “The Sandwiched”: An Examination of Reductionist Health Policies on Women in Canada

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“…There is mounting evidence that both caregivers and care recipients experience substantial economic, health, and social costs associated with reductionist policies (Angus, Auer, Cloutier, & Albert, 1995;Fast, Eales, & Keating, 2001;Fruin, 1998;Gori, 2000;National Advisory Council on Aging, 1999). Furthermore, while the "language of caring, such as caregiving families, community care, and the informal sector" implies that there is a group or network providing care; researchers have suggested that most caring is done by a lone individual-most often the middle-aged woman in the family (Fast et al, 2004, p. 16).…”

Pflege in Europa

“…Staatliche Leistungen können meist nur dann bezogen werden, wenn keine Familie mehr vorhanden ist oder Angehörige die Pflege nicht leisten und auch nicht finanzieren können (Gori 2000). Die nordischen Länder werden dabei immer wieder als Paradebeispiele für individualistische Staaten angeführt.…”

Location or dis-location? Towards a conceptualization of people and place in the care-giving experience

“…Mediterranean countries, in particular, have been characterized by a strong family culture, where care of the elderly is viewed as a private matter in which relatives traditionally provide the majority of care (Gori 2000). Comparisons between informal care-giving in Italy, England and Sweden have revealed that while age and familial relationships between carer and care recipients may vary, there is a distinctly gendered pattern to care-giving, with female carers outnumbering male carers by 2Ϻ1 in all three states (McDaid and Sassi 2001: 35).…”