Abstract
This chapter introduces the topics covered in this book. The effective coverage and the overall quality in terms of the well-being of the target population reached by a given long-term care (LTC) programme are the result of a complex interaction of a number of determinants, which require a careful analysis of the different steps involved in the process. Hence, presenting a complete picture, analysing a detailed taxonomy and drawing some useful conclusions about the risk of vulnerability and the extent of dependency in old age represents a challenge because of the variety of solutions adopted in Europe. Our analysis makes two substantial contributions: the estimation of the coverage rates results from country-specific definitions of vulnerability, which have not been considered to date, without the imposition of any a priori criteria; second, the use of micro-data allows us to control for the different epidemiologic characteristics of European countries.
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Notes
- 1.
This personal care component is frequently provided in combination with help with basic medical services, such as nursing care (help with wound dressing, pain management, medication, health monitoring), as well as prevention, rehabilitation or services of palliative care. Long-term care services can also be combined with lower-level care related to domestic help or less demanding tasks. LTC can be provided in the recipient’s own dwelling (home-based care/domiciliary care) rather than in nursing homes or residential care facilities (residential/institutional care). In this chapter, we will concentrate on the LTC programmes that offer in-kind or in-cash benefits for home-based care, the so-called formal care provided by professional nurses or social workers (as opposed to the informal care provided by the dependent’s family and friends) (OECD, 2013).
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Brugiavini, A., Carrino, L., Orso, C.E., Pasini, G. (2017). Introduction. In: Vulnerability and Long-term Care in Europe. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68969-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68969-2_1
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