ANCIEN

Assessing Needs of Care In European Nations

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The large post-war baby boom is now turning into a grandparent boom, putting a triple stress on long-term care (LTC) provisions: increased numbers of elderly, increased survival of these elderly and increased survival of frail, disabled elderly through improved care and health care. Increasing body weights, through increasing disability and care dependence among the obese, further add to numbers of disabled elderly. The supply of labour is affected by the ageing of the EU population. Consequently, increasing emphasis has been put on the future development of long-term care needs, supply and use, and the functioning of LTC systems. The objectives of ANCIEN (Assessing Needs for Care In European Nations) are to review the LTC systems in EU member states, to assess the actual and future numbers of elderly care-dependent people in selected countries and to develop a methodology for comprehensive analysis of actual and future LTC needs and provisions across European countries, including the potential role of technology and policies on maintaining and improving quality. Performance indicators will be identified and relative performances of the different types of LTC systems assessed. Databases of EU countries are constructed, containing available data on LTC needs and use of the elderly. Participating partners from different countries cover the majority of the EU member states. State of the art demographic, epidemiologic and econometric models are used to project future needs and use of long-term care in representative member states with different LTC systems. Deliverables contain databases, dynamic models calculating long-term care needs, reports on future needs and use of LTC in representative member states, and country-specific and general reports on LTC systems and their performance.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An in-depth study of long-term care (LTC) for the fast-growing number of elderly people across the continent will help ensure a more sustainable care model for this large segment of society.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Europe's population is ageing rapidly, putting a heavy strain on the continent's health systems. The EU-funded project 'Assessing needs of care in European nations' (ANCIEN) studied LTC for the elderly in Europe to improve care services and mechanisms for this rapidly growing age group. The project worked on making viable projections of future LTC use and costs involved, beginning with data collection and the preparation of 22 country reports.

Developing typologies for the different LTC systems, the project team chose four representative countries for each type, namely Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland. It then analysed the need for LTC in each country and used Eurostat population projects to establish care projections. Another important aspect examined was the role of informal care and private funding versus public expenditures.

ANCIEN also looked at the use of care, including the choice between formal and informal care, as well as at the choice between care at home and in an institution. It analysed supply of informal and formal care, noting that the number of care users is set to increase in all countries. Other important aspects examined include technological solutions likely to impact LTC, as well as economic, cultural, organisational and regulatory considerations.

Against this backdrop, the project team highlighted a need for policies to increase LTC capacity, closely examining and classifying policies related to the quality of care provided. It then looked at efforts to improve the quality of LTC, an exercise that could reveal much information on the sustainability of the LTC approach in each country.

In essence, the project team developed a robust epidemiologic and demographic model that can project the future elderly population by age, sex and disability status. The method can be used for many types of countries, even those lacking detailed data on the incidence of disability.

The project's results and findings have been disseminated through a dedicated http://www.ANCIEN-longtermcare.eu (website) with links to participating institutes. The website also includes research reports and policy briefs that can be accessed by interested parties. This will be invaluable for policymakers and for pre-empting challenges in LTC as Europe's elderly population grows. The result is potentially better care and a better standard of living, not only for elderly patients but the people in their lives as well.