18/05/2011 - Submitted by: Tilia Bousios

On the 18th of May, the OECD published a report co-financed by DG Health & Consumers entitled: "Help Wanted? Providing and Paying for Long-term Care".

It is estimated that people aged 80+ in the OECD countries (which includes the 27 EU Member States) will grow from 4% in 2010 to 10% in 2050. At the same time, family ties are becoming looser. This will challenge long-term care services and systems. The report published by the OECD today looks at how countries can provide the necessary care for older people, despite the ageing demographic and societal changes.

The report is the result of a 2 year project conducted between 2009 and 2010 through a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. It is organised in 10 chapters and covers the following topics:

• The growing demand for long-term care in the context of ageing societies.
• Demographic projections and their implications for long-term care labour markets and expenditure.
• The role of family carers and the impact of caring on carers' mental health, poverty and labour market participation. Policies to support family carers.
• A review of employment and work conditions in formal long-term care labour markets. Strategies to attract and retain care workers to the sector.
• An analysis of public and private coverage schemes for long-term care in OECD countries.
• Financing policies to improve access while keeping costs under control.
•     Options to improve value for money from long-term care services. Efficient management of the interface between health and care.