Home-Based Care, the Elderly, the Family, and the Welfare State: An International Comparison

By Frédéric Lesemann

What is the future of social care and the welfare state? ln which ways do national social policy systems respond to care needs among the dependent elderly? What are the major trends in governments' efforts to reduce the pressures put on public care systems? Which specific strategies are being developed to restructure relationships between public and informal support systems?

Based on overviews from seven industrial countries (U.S., U.K., Canada, Netherlands, Sweden, France and Italy), the various contributors look at government interventions targeting the dependent elderly and situate this group in the framework of demographic change and a history of social services and social policy. They identify current challenges and highlight certain response strategies, which often represent experimental solutions. Particular attention is granted to links and breakdown of ties between formal and informal support initiatives, and between public and family support systems.

Over the past quarter century, there has been considerable growth in government involvement of several industrial countries in the social care sector. It is hoped that this book will contribute to these countries' debate on the ongoing transformation in relationships between public and family support systems.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0776603698
• ISBN13: 9780776603698
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher