Communiqué May 2006
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In this issue:
Previous issues of Communiqué
Director’s diary
Responding to the challenges of ageing
Demographic change in Europe means that a growing share of its ageing population will need social care services. Combined with the demand for more personalised care, this will add to the demand for care workers. Moreover, the changing role of the family means that communities will increasingly have to help families fulfil their caring responsibilities and to intervene in cases of family breakdown. The provision of adequate care services increases demands upon the labour supply and imposes a substantial financial burden on families and on local and national budgets. In today’s economic environment, the financial sustainability of such services is a matter for concern.
The Foundation has recently concluded research into how labour supply in the care services sector can be improved in order to meet the increasing demand for such services. It found that increasing the number of care workers and combating the high turnover and early burnout they suffer will pose major challenges in the near future. It also found that a move to more informal care provision seems inevitable, if the financial burden on the social provision systems in the Member States is to be reduced; research results indicate that this can be best achieved through financial incentives or through support services.
The new report Employment in social care in Europe, just published, highlights some of the most innovative practices underway in selected EU and acceding countries. It aims to help national policymakers tackle the challenges of an ageing population in Europe.
Jorma Karppinen
Director