Rights and Realities: Comparing New Developments in Long-Term Care for Older People

All advanced industrial societies are experiencing changing demographic profiles, accompanied by political pressures to limit public spending. These trends threaten the capacity of publicly funded health and welfare services to maintain current levels of provision in the face of rising demand. Together they are driving forces in the search, by local and national governments alike, for alternative, more cost-effective ways of organising and providing care. This new edited book focuses on the shifting boundaries between 'health' and 'social' services, between services and money, between public and private provision. It explores the experiences of a number of countries which have recently made changes in the organisation, funding or delivery of services for frail older people. Each chapter has been specially commissioned from experts familiar with the organisation of services in their particular country. The book describes the consequences of these service changes for older citizens and the broader lessons for policy and service development.