Trends and Challenges in Long-Term Care in Europe

Abstract

The 21st century is a century of older people; the society is becoming long-lived. We are witnessing remarkable demographic changes; people are healthier, have higher quality of life and consequently live longer, which results in important social consequences at the individual level, as well as at the level of families and countries (see Filipovič Hrast & Hlebec, 2015). In the next five decades, according to the latest demographic projections of Eurostat, the structure of the population will change radically. The proportion of the oldest Europeans (80 years and over) is expected to rise from 5% in 2016 to 13% in 2070, while the old-age dependency ratio of older people will almost double in this period. Europe is expected to increase public expenditure on long-term care from 1.6% to 2.7% of GDP (European Commission, 2018). These trends will have a significant impact on the organization and financial sustainability of long-term care systems. We can expect an increase in the proportion of people who will need long-term care and a decrease in the proportion of those giving care, both formal and informal.