Comparable indicators on long-term care

Even before the current financial crisis, there was a growing concern over the fiscal and social sustainability of long-term care for dependent older people. Yet despite these concerns, little is known about basic indicators on this subject. The present publication, "Facts and Figures on Long-term Care - Europe and North America" seeks to bridge that gap of information by bringing together information from international and national sources to present comparable indicators on long-term care.

The indicators presented in this publication cover several issues directly related to long-term care for dependent older people. It covers the demographic, health and living arrangements background information as well as the provision of informal care, and stretches from beneficiaries of formal long-term care services (both in institutions and in their homes, by ex and age groups) to public and private expenditure on long-term care.

Besides the figures on basic indicators, qualitative data is also presented and the facts of policy options discussed, e.g. on the interaction between employment policies and cash benefits.

Among the findings presented in this publication are:

• the predominance of women as informal carers, regardless of "care regimes";
• the fact that institutional care only covers but a minority of older people, while most beneficiaries of care services remain in their own homes;
• the trade-offs in benefit generosity in care and attendance allowances;
• the possible links at a cross-country level between living arrangements, availability of informal care and institutionalisation;
• or how public expenditure is divided between home and institutional care.

The present publication aims to be the first edition of a series of biannual publications to contain updated and upgraded information on long-term care.