Living independently at home

 

The project will identify how 9 European countries have reformed their home help systems for elderly and disabled, by identifying the drivers of changes and responses in the organisation, provision, regulation and quality of home care/help.

 

Hypotheses are that cross-national variation in reforms in home care policies 1) influence the involvement of different care sectors and the use of services vs. cash benefits, 2) shape the degree of formalisation/informalisation and the degree of professionalization, and 3) contribute to the quality of care.

 

The study will provide a timely overview of recent reforms in the organisation and governance of home care systems in 9 European countries, and will elucidate what are the intended and unintended results of the reforms, in particular how reforms have affected quality of care.

 

The study will be based on national legislation and statistics, national and international literature reviews, and on comparable OECD health data.

Aims

• The study aims to identify how European countries have reformed their home help and home care systems in order to achieve:
• High quality care which meets increasingly diversified and individualised needs
• Effective and efficient services
• Stronger user orientations in the provision of care
• An optimal balance of responsibility between formal and informal care
• The best way of attracting and retaining home care workers.

Key areas of interest include:

• Drivers/pressures for reform
• Boundaries of home care
• Arrangements for organisation, funding, provision and regulation of home care
• Home care workforce
• Quality assessment
• Impacts on users